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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29211702">After the Kiss</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cooopercrisp/pseuds/cooopercrisp'>cooopercrisp</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Titans (Animated Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action &amp; Romance, Action/Adventure, F/M, Multiple Relationships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:22:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>43,526</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29211702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cooopercrisp/pseuds/cooopercrisp</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It took them far too long, but Robin and Starfire are finally an item after their Big Damn Kiss in Tokyo. However, they have no idea the kind of struggles that lie in store for them. Will their budding relationship survive the coming storm? Assumes that Trouble in Tokyo occurred after the events of season 5.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jinx/Victor Stone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the first new piece of fanfiction I have written in a long, long (very long) time. I used to write fanfiction for all of the books, shows and video games I was obsessed with growing up. However, I have never before written a piece for one of my all-time animated series: Teen Titans.</p><p>Being able to rewatch the entire series on HBOMax rekindled my love for this series. The characters and relationships are so fleshed out and well-developed that it is no wonder it remains one of the most popular categories of fanfiction.</p><p>The idea for this story came to me after reading a post on the fanfiction subreddit asking if there was a ship I could write in my sleep. Despite all the previous writing I did for other fandoms, I knew that RobStar was the one for me.</p><p>I originally intended this story as a one-shot, but I became so interested in the idea that it is something I may try to continue. As the story develops, I will be changing the rating or archive warnings if it is necessary to do so.</p><p>Thank you for stopping by and happy reading.</p><p>EDIT: So I'm realizing that there is some debate about where Trouble in Tokyo occurs in the timeline of this series. For this story, I assume that Trouble in Tokyo occurred after the events of season 5. It doesn't make too much of a difference, but I just learned that this was something not necessarily clear-cut, so I figured I'd mention that here.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Robin had hoped that kissing Starfire would have quelled his doubts, but as the Titans were flying home from Tokyo, he was more confused than ever.</p><p>It would have been nice for him and Starfire to have some time to themselves so he could sort out the questions that were flying through his head, but there had been no chance for them to do so. The rest of the team had certainly meant well. Cyborg and Beast Boy had given him enough high fives and cheers to make their support obvious, and even Raven had voiced her approval in her usual quiet, understated way. Starfire herself glowed radiantly with happiness, seeming to be a lot more secure than he was feeling at the moment.</p><p>But there had been no time to stop and think about what happened after they had kissed. They had been whisked off to the medal ceremony, then the celebratory parade, and then they had packed up the T-Sub and headed for home. All Robin had wanted was some time alone with Starfire to talk about where their newfound relationship would go from here, and that alone time was the one thing he hadn’t had a chance to ask for.</p><p>Sitting on the ship as they flew East for home, all Robin could do was brood about his confusing thoughts. He’d been so laser-focused on leading his team and being a hero that he had not considered that his fantasies about Starfire could ever come true. There had been moments when something could have happened, but he had always shied away from them. He thought back to the date he’d had with Kitten, the time where he’d had the strongest indication that Starfire reciprocated his feelings, whatever they were, and even then he hadn’t been able to make a move. He was kicking himself now for how dense he had been. Of course, hindsight was 20-20, but he was still upset about all the time he’d wasted.</p><p>As Robin lingered on his thoughts, the rest of his team was speaking about the big moment.</p><p>“I saw it coming from the very beginning,” Cyborg said. “Once you planted that kiss on him when you first met, Star, I knew he wanted more.”</p><p>“I have already explained why that had to happen,” Starfire said. “Our people are capable of learning languages through this exchange of mouth-to-mouth contact.”</p><p>“Maybe that’s all it meant for you at the time, but you should’ve seen his face after it happened. To this day I’ve never seen Robin’s cheeks so red.”</p><p>“Dudes, even I could tell you two had a thing,” Beast Boy said, “and usually I have to get hit in the head with a brick to notice this stuff. I mean, Star, how long were you waiting for Robin to make a move?”</p><p>Robin perked up and began paying closer attention to the discussion.</p><p>“Honestly, it was confusing for me,” Starfire said. “It can be hard for people of two different cultures to understand these feelings. I had no idea that the exchange of kissing had such a different meaning here on Earth than on Tamaran. It did not concern me until I kissed that Japanese boy and noticed Robin’s reaction. Only then did I understand what that exchange meant on this planet.”</p><p>“It sure threw me for a loop,” Beast Boy said. “How’d it feel for you, Robin? Looked like your eyes were gonna pop right through your mask when it happened.”</p><p>“Uh...” Robin said, caught off guard after suddenly being addressed.”Yeah, you could say I was pretty confused. Made sense in hindsight when Star first kissed me before being able to speak English.”</p><p>“I do wish to apologize for the confusion that exchange caused,” Starfire said. “I did not mean to take you off your guard.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Robin said. “It all fits into place now. No harm no foul.”</p><p>“I’m still pretty confused about something,” Beast Boy said. “How come you still kind of have some issues understanding some stuff? I remember the first time I said something was ‘sick’ and you asked me if I was feeling okay.”</p><p>Starfire giggled and blushed slightly. “I am unsure about why I still sometimes struggle with the figures of speech like this one. I know not the way this power of mine works.”</p><p>“Maybe it takes a couple more kisses to really get the hang of it,” Beast Boy said with a smirk on his face. “I guess we’ll have to see how much better your English gets now that you and Robin are gonna keep ‘practicing.’”</p><p>Robin cleared his throat a bit louder than intended while Beast Boy chortled at his own joke.</p><p>“How very mature of you,” Raven said. “I would have expected an eight year old to make that joke.”</p><p>“Aw, come on, Raven, I’m just playing around,” Beast Boy said. “Robin and Star are cool with it, right guys?”</p><p>“Your attempt at humor was well-received,” Starfire said with a giggle.</p><p>“Yep,” Robin added, “pretty funny.” He let out a slight giggle that he imagined wouldn’t fool anybody. No one seemed to notice, not until he heard a voice in his head.</p><p>“<em>You’ve been moody since we started this flight home,</em>” Raven’s voice said in Robin’s head. “<em>Everything okay? </em>”</p><p>Robin felt taken aback, but managed to hide his surprise enough not to draw attention from the other Titans. “<em>Warn me next time you’re going to do that. </em>”</p><p>“<em>Sorry. I was sensing some uneasiness about you, so I thought I’d check in. </em>”</p><p>“<em>I appreciate you looking out for me, but I promise you I’m okay.” </em></p><p>“<em>Robin, I’m literally in your head. You can stop putting on an act. </em>”</p><p>“<em>Fine, you have a point there. It’s just that Star and I haven’t had any time to ourselves to process what happened in Tokyo. Everything happened so fast, and now that things have died down, I’m feeling confused. I thought things would start to fall into place now that we’re ‘official,’ for lack of a better word, but now I’m more unsure than ever. </em>”</p><p>“<em>Well, I can’t give you much advice on this kind of thing. I don’t allow myself much of a chance to get into these kinds of relationships in case my feelings become too much to handle. You’ve seen how disastrous that can get. However, I can at least help you on a more practical matter. I can keep Cyborg and Beast Boy occupied when we get home so you and Starfire can have some time to talk things through. </em>”</p><p>“<em>That sounds great. Thanks. </em>”</p><p>“<em>Don’t mention it. I could tell right away that’s what you wanted, even before linking with your mind. Unlike the other two boys on our team, I tend to notice these things. </em>”</p><p>“<em>Understood. Um...by the way, how much of my mind are you able to access? </em>”</p><p>“<em>I only have access to the bare minimum of what I need. I’m well-versed in being discreet about these mental connections. Be grateful it’s not Beast Boy poking around in your head. </em>”</p><p>Robin nearly laughed at that final comment, but held it in to avoid any suspicion from his other teammates. Raven gave him a small smile after withdrawing from his mind.</p><p>Feeling more at ease now that there was a game plan in place, Robin looked over at Starfire, which he had been avoiding since boarding the ship and departing from Tokyo. He had stolen glances here and there in the past, but felt like he had always had to hide it from her. Knowing now that his affection would be welcomed, he was able to gaze at her for much longer.</p><p>Her long red hair, dazzling green eyes, and trim body were a sight for him to behold, but what he was beginning to notice for the first time was the radiance of her golden skin. She seemed to radiate a warm glow that he didn’t remember noticing before.</p><p>Perhaps it was her unfettered joy that caused this radiance, or perhaps he was imagining it. That would have to be something for him to ask about her when they got a chance to be alone. Robin then checked the map on the console in front of him to find out where they were over the Pacific Ocean. It would still be hours before the team would return to Titans Tower. Robin sat back and tried to relax, understanding that good things would come to those who waited.</p>
<hr/><p>Robin hadn’t realized he had drifted to sleep until he was awoken. He realized he had been dreaming, but the dream’s contents slipped away like sand through a sieve. The team had arrived home at Titans Tower. The Titans East came out of the tower to greet the main team home.</p><p>“Thanks for keeping an eye on Jump City again,” Robin said to Bumblebee.</p><p>“And nice job on the repairs,” Cyborg added with a big smile. “She looks good as new.”</p><p>“It was nothing,” Bumblebee said. “Things have been pretty quiet now that the bad guys know there’s a few dozen good guys on call at any time.”</p><p>“Yeah, it was actually pretty boring,” Aqualad said. “We’d better get back to Steel City. Pantha’s been dying to head home, so we shouldn’t keep her waiting.”</p><p>“We really appreciate it,” Robin said. “Call us if you need anything.”</p><p>“Thanks,” said Bumblebee. “Also, congratulations to you and Starfire for making it official.”</p><p>Robin felt his heart skip a beat. “How did you—?”</p><p>“Sparky told us a few hours ago when he called to tell us you were coming home,” Bumblebee said.</p><p>Robin gave Cyborg a curious glance. All Cyborg could do was grin. “They asked how the trip went,” he said. “Figured you’d want to share the good news.”</p><p>Robin had to grin in spite of himself. “No worries,” he said.</p><p>After a final exchange of goodbyes, the Titans East boarded their ship to fly home, and the main team went into Titans Tower to look over the repairs.</p><p>“Dude, they really cleaned the place up,” Beast Boy said.</p><p>“It is glorious to see that our home is of the shipped shape.”</p><p>“Uh...I think you mean ‘shipshape,’” Raven said.</p><p>“Forgive me,” Starfire said. “Some of your Earthly turns of phrase are still difficult for me to grasp.”</p><p>“I’m sure Robin will help you practice,” Beast Boy said with a smirk. Starfire giggled, but Robin felt his stomach squirm. He gave Raven a quick glance, which she returned with a small nod.</p><p>“Cyborg, Beast Boy,” she said. “I heard Más y Menos installed the new GameStation while we were gone. You might want to—” She didn’t have to say another word, because Cyborg and Beast Boy ran off, eager to try out the new console.</p><p>“Thanks, Raven,” Robin said.</p><p>“You two should go find a place to talk,” Raven said. “I’ll keep an eye on the two toddlers up there.”</p><p>Starfire had a look of concern on her face. She turned to Robin, who gave her a nervous smile.</p><p>“Is...everything okay?” she asked.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Robin said. “I just wanted us to have some time to ourselves so we can, you know, figure things out.”</p><p>“I am not certain I understand. What needs to be figured out?”</p><p>“Let’s go to your room,” Robin said. “We’ll have more privacy there.”</p><p>Robin took Starfire’s hand as the two made their way to her room. Robin noticed that her skin, which had been radiant on the flight home, was looking a bit more dull. He wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the dimmer inner lighting of the tower or if it was somehow being triggered by her emotion. It reminded him that there were still things about Tamaraneans that he didn’t understand.</p><p>When the two arrived at Starfire’s room and the door shut behind them, Robin’s stomach started to squirm more.</p><p>“Robin, I sense something is the matter with you,” Starfire said. “Did I do something to upset you?”</p><p>“Not at all,” Robin said. “You haven’t done anything like that. Quite the opposite, in fact. I just...I don’t know, it’s been a struggle for me to have all these feelings.”</p><p>“What is causing this struggle?” Starfire asked.</p><p>At that point, since Starfire’s room had very little light coming in, Robin definitely noticed that her skin was glowing less. He quickly tried to reverse the trend.</p><p>“Please, let me try to explain,” Robin said. “When I was growing up in Gotham City, I was part of a circus act with my parents. They...well, they had a terrible accident, and they died.”</p><p>Starfire gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. “I am so sorry, Robin. I had no idea.”</p><p>“It’s okay. I never told anyone about it. Raven found out when she accessed my mind a while back, but I told her not to mention it to anyone else.</p><p>“Anyway, after that accident, I was taken in by Batman. He taught me everything I know about fighting criminals, which I am grateful for, but he had a hard time trusting others, especially women. That attitude kinda rubbed off on me, so I always put my duty as a hero over dating.</p><p>“When I met you, and you gave me that kiss, it took me a long time to accept how I felt about you. I wasn’t sure you felt the same way, and every time I wanted to talk to you about it, I always told myself that the mission came first, and I always tried to keep the idea of you—of us—out of my head.”</p><p>“Oh, Robin, I wish you had said something,” Starfire said. “When I first crash landed on your planet and met you all, I was not sure what to make of you. Our Tamaranean customs for dating and romance, especially in royal families like mine, is completely different to how these customs work on Earth. I was not certain of how I felt until the girl Kitten asked you to her prom. Even then, I was sure you did not see me the same way that I saw you.” Starfire’s eyes began to well, and she sat on the edge of her bed. Robin took a seat next to her and wrapped his arm around her.</p><p>“We wasted so much time dancing around the issue,” Robin said. “I wish I had been more upfront. It would have saved us so much trouble.”</p><p>“Likewise,” Starfire said. She rested her head on Robin’s chest and let out a sigh. Robin rested his head delicately on hers.</p><p>“You know,” Robin said, “I’m glad we finally got this out in the open. We may be able to make up for some of this lost time.”</p><p>Starfire glanced up at him. “How do you propose we do that?”</p><p>Robin looked into Starfire’s eyes and smiled. He went in for a kiss, which she gladly reciprocated. They kissed softly at first, then wrapped their arms around each other and laid themselves on Starfire’s bed. It felt to Robin like the room was warming up, but he knew who was to blame for that. When they broke away from their embrace, Robin could tell that Starfire’s skin was glowing strongly again.</p><p>“Are you aware your skin has been glowing off and on since that kiss in Tokyo?” Robin asked.</p><p>Starfire giggled and her cheeks flushed. “It is an involuntary reaction to physical affection. I had hoped it was not too obvious.”</p><p>“I didn’t really notice it until now,” Robin said. “To think I was trained by the world’s greatest detective and I still missed the obvious signs right in front of me.”</p><p>“Please do not blame yourself too harshly,” Starfire said. “I failed to see the signs, too.”</p><p>“At least all that is behind us,” Robin said, leaning in for another kiss. This one was gentler, more tender, and when it broke away they looked at each other and smiled. However, as Starfire gazed at Robin, her brow furrowed a bit and her smile dissipated.</p><p>“I have never really seen your eyes behind that mask,” she said. “Why do you insist on wearing it? I have always wondered this but was not sure how to ask.”</p><p>“Batman taught me to protect my identity at all costs. He wanted to make sure no one I cared about could be hurt by a villain looking for retribution. I guess old habits die hard.”</p><p>“That is understandable,” Starfire said. “However, I am your girlfriend now, and I am not afraid of any of our foes going after you for this retribution of which you speak. Might I get a chance to see them just this once?”</p><p>Robin smiled and let out a small laugh. “I guess at this point I have no real reason to say no anymore.” With that said, he removed the mask to reveal eyes as deep blue as the sky.</p><p>Starfire smiled widely. “They are even more perfect than I could have dreamed of.”</p><p>“I can easily say the same about yours,” Robin said. “I love how deeply green every part of your eyes are.”</p><p>Starfire beamed with pride. Suddenly, the two of them heard noise approaching the room from the hall. Robin quickly replaced his mask. There was a knock on the door.</p><p>“Please enter,” Starfire said. The door opened to show an eager Cyborg and Beast Boy and an apologetic Raven.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Raven said. “I thought the new GameStation would keep these two a little more occupied.”</p><p>“Cy and I are just so psyched to see you two together,” Beast Boy said. “I think he wants your advice, Robin. He wants to ask Jinx out.”</p><p>“I never said that,” Cyborg said, a bit too quickly and emphatically to be fully believed. “Besides, I think BB here is still hung up on Terra.”</p><p>“Not cool, dude,” Beast Boy said. “We had way more of a relationship than you and Jinx. We’re not on an even playing field here.”</p><p>“As you can tell,” Raven said to Robin and Starfire before Cyborg could retort, “these two are hopeless.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” Beast Boy said. “At least the two of us have a shot. Have you ever liked anybody?”</p><p>“I don’t think you want to go there,” Raven said with a hint of ominousness.</p><p>Before Beast Boy could respond, the alarm in the tower sounded and the lights started flashing red.</p><p>“Looks like this conversation’s on hold,” Robin said. “We’ve got trouble.”</p><p>“Okay,” Beast Boy said, “but don’t think this gets you off the hook, Raven.”</p><p>“Pick your battles carefully,” Raven replied, “very carefully.”</p><p>As the team prepared to take on their next threat, Robin couldn’t help but smile. He had convinced himself so thoroughly that he could never get the girl, that he had abandoned all hope. The trip to Tokyo, the kiss, and everything that happened after had been a dream come true.</p><p>Little did he know that this dream would soon turn into a nightmare.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have no idea where this story may be going, but I have here a nice start.</p><p>If I am able to find a way to continue this, I will start doing so. I’m currently in-between jobs, so I cannot promise quick updates. We’ll have to wait and see.</p><p>Please, if you enjoy this premise, leave a kudos and a comment. I am interested in hearing some feedback.</p><p>Thanks for reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was able to find some time to post the next installment. I made a couple formatting changes to the first chapter to make it easier to distinguish Robin and Raven's telepathic communication from regular spoken dialogue.</p><p>This next chapter is setting up a new plot point that's going to take this story in a bit of a different direction, but I will be developing the Robin/Starfire relationship in subsequent chapters. Please let me know what you think of what comes up in this chapter. I hope you like it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>People in the park were screaming as a giant machine was flinging its tentacles around. One woman was running with her baby held in her arms. A tentacle hit her in the back of the head, and she fell over, a gash in her head starting to bleed. Her baby was screaming and crying. The tentacle latched onto the baby and lifted it into the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, a projectile flew through the air, severing the tentacle from the machine. The baby fell, still screaming, but a green bird caught him in the air and lowered him to safety. The machine bellowed and turned its attention to the five superheroes who had arrived on scene.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still trying to abduct children, Kardiak?” Robin asked. “You should find a better neighborly pastime.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The machine bellowed again and launched its tentacles towards the Titans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Titans, go!” Robin cried. The five heroes leapt out of the way of Kardiak’s tentacles and moved in for an attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cyborg armed his sonic cannon and shot it towards the core of the machine shaped like a human heart. The machine fell backwards, but then launched a tentacle at Cyborg and knocked him to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kardiak launched a second tentacle at Cyborg, but Starfire knocked it away by firing a starbolt at it. She continued her attack, launching starbolts at the tentacles that focused their attention on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Starfire!” Robin screamed, then approached the attacking tentacles with bo staff in hand. He attacked with a flurry of strikes, then Kardiak redirected his attack at him. One tentacle knocked him off balance, and a second sent his staff flying out of reach as Robin was knocked to the ground. Kardiak then launched three tentacles at Robin and hit him with a flurry of blows. Robin screamed out in pain as the assault continued, but Kardiak’s attacks were finally interrupted when a black aura formed around Robin and deflected the rest of his blows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Starfire, get him out of there!” Raven called as Kardiak continued striking at the shield she had formed. Starfire flew in, making sure to avoid collateral damage from Kardiak, and grabbed Robin before flying him out of reach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” she asked Robin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Star,” Robin said, but then winced in pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you are not fine, Robin. The Kardiak may have injured you. I will fly you to safety.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look out!” Robin cried as a tentacle flew towards the two heroes. Before Starfire could react, Beast Boy as a green pterodactyl latched onto the tentacle with his talons and redirected the attack away from the two heroes. Kardiak bellowed and redirected an attack at Beast Boy, who morphed into a hummingbird to avoid the tentacle flying towards him. Starfire shot at the tentacle with lasers from her eyes and severed the tentacle before it could lay harm to Beast Boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kardiak roared again and launched his tentacles in all directions. Raven latched onto two going after her telekinetically and ripped them away from Kardiak. Kardiak hollered in what might have been pain and launched another tentacle towards Raven, but she used the tentacles she had latched onto to parry the attack. One tentacle found its way through and knocked Raven out of the sky. She lost control of the tentacles in her grasp and they and Raven fell to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Kardiak could launch another attack at Raven, Cyborg’s sonic cannon fired and severed the tentacle from Kardiak’s body. Another tentacle launched towards Cyborg, but Beast Boy as a rhinoceros charged into it with the horn on his nose, knocking it clean off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Starfire, our friends need our help,” Robin said with a grimace. “We need to get back in the fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I fear that would be unwise,” Starfire said. “We know not yet the extent of your injuries.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me, Star, I’m fine,” Robin said. “I’ve taken a lot more punishment than this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire let out an exasperated sigh, but then brought Robin to the ground. “I suppose I cannot stop you, but please at least stay out of the reach of Kardiak and fight with projectiles alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Starfire, there’s really no need—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please just do this for me?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, Robin was hard pressed to refuse the request.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I promise to stay at a distance,” Robin said, “but you need to get back there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Starfire said, before setting Robin gently down on the ground. She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and flew back towards the scene of the battle, starbolts blazing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin tried to take some steps forward but buckled to the ground. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe Kardiak did more damage than I thought.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He held a hand to his chest as he tried to steady himself back on his feet. Realizing he was not going to be able to move, he collapsed to the ground again. He slammed a fist onto the ground and took some labored breaths. Starfire had been right. There was no way Robin was going to be able to rejoin the battle. All he could do was watch as his friends continued to fight against Kardiak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that he had some time to think, Robin was wondering what Kardiak was even doing back in Jump City. The team had frozen a slew of villains in the massive fight against the Brotherhood of Evil months ago, so how had Kardiak found a way to break out of it and return to Jump City? He wasn’t even sure who would have been able to find the frozen villains in the first place. The location of the hideout of the Brotherhood of Evil was not exactly common knowledge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Robin caught something out of the corner of his eye. In an alleyway between two buildings, he was able to see the shape of a figure who seemed to be watching him. Robin tried to take a few steps towards the figure, only to be reminded again that his injuries precluded him from approaching. The figure then began to approach him, and as it stepped into the light, Robin let out a gasp. There was no mistaking the black, brown, and gray body armor and the single eye glaring back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Slade,” Robin said, once he had approached closely enough to hear him. “I should have known you were behind this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Robin, how good it is to see you again,” Slade replied. “You do not seem so surprised to see me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beast Boy told me he ran into one of your machines,” Robin said, “when he went to find out what had happened to Terra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Slade said with the unctuous tone that always managed to get under Robin’s skin. “He never really did get over her, did he? It’s a shame, too. She always had so much potential. If only she hadn’t gotten soft towards the end.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enough of this.” Robin said, launching a birdarang towards Slade. Slade ducked out of the way, and the projectile landed behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your injuries have slowed you down,” Slade said, slowly walking towards Robin, “but fortunately for you, I’m not here to fight you. Not yet, at least. I merely stopped by to observe how your team is handling my homecoming gift.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin and Slade turned briefly back to the battle happening in the distance. Under assault from the four other Titans, it seemed Kardiak was being overwhelmed by their assault.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re faring as well as I expected,” Slade said, “so I don’t have much time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Much time…for what?” Robin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I came here to deliver a message,” Slade replied, glaring at Robin. “As I’m sure you’ve surmised by now, I was able to locate the villains you froze back in Paris. The Brotherhood of Evil had a plan that was brilliant to a point, but they fell short because they underestimated your team of heroes. I know you far better than they ever did, so you can be sure that I will not be making the same mistakes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You won’t get away with it,” Robin said, reaching for another gadget from his belt. Slade kicked at his arm, and the birdarang Robin had grabbed was knocked from his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Strong-willed as always,” Slade remarked, “but you should really learn to be more practical. I guarantee you that Kardiak broke a few ribs at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luckily for you,” Robin said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t believe in luck,” Slade replied. “Preparation is far more valuable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They heard a scream from a distance. Robin and Slade looked back over at the sight of the battle, and it seemed the four Titans had succeeded in subduing Kardiak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s my cue to exit,” Slade said. “Rest up, Robin. You will want to be in fighting shape the next time we meet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slade dropped a smoke pellet. Robin had to shut his eyes as he started to cough. By the time the smoke had dissipated, Slade was nowhere in sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire was the first of Robin’s four friends to return to his side, with Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy not far behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have succeeded in subduing the Kardiak,” Starfire said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see that,” Robin said before coughing again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to you?” Cyborg asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Slade,” Robin said once he was able to catch his breath. “He found the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Evil. He says he freed all of the villains we froze there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire gasped at the news. Cyborg frowned, and Beast Boy grimaced, but Raven remained stoic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seeing Kardiak here is proof that somebody was able to free him,” Raven said. “It’s likely Slade wasn’t lying to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In that case,” Cyborg said, “we’re gonna have our work cut out for us. We need to find out what Slade is planning so that we can prepare.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can start doing research once we get back to the tower,” Robin said. “I’m not going to be much help in the field until I’m able to recover from whatever Kardiak did to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will bring Robin to the T-Car,” Starfire said, lifting Robin as gingerly as possible to avoid aggravating his injuries. The rest of the team followed her to where Cyborg had parked the car before the battle with Kardiak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Star,” Robin said. “I need to tell you something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am listening,” Starfire said somberly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I was talking to Slade, he mentioned something about planning my injuries. Whatever he’s planning, he needs me to be out of commission. You know how meticulous Slade is with his plans. I need you and the team to be careful. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to you while I’m out of commission.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will be okay, Robin,” Starfire said. “We have defeated Slade many times in the past. We will most certainly be able to do that again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I hope you’re right</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Robin thought, but he did not have the heart to voice any of his doubts now.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The doors opened to a cold, abandoned warehouse. Slade stepped inside and shut the doors behind him, then turned on some lights before walking towards his base of operations. It wasn’t much yet, just a computer and some of his equipment, but it was enough for what he was planning. Waiting for him was his butler, Wintergreen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Has contact been made?” Wintergreen asked Slade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I have reached out to the Titans,” he said. “They know I am coming for them. But they do not know yet about my wild card.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The girl?” Wintergreen asked as Slade sat down at his computer and turned it on. The monitor displayed pictures of a young, blonde girl in a school uniform with two other girls who appeared to be her friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Terra may not remember me,” Slade said, “but I remember her. The two of us will be reunited soon, and whether she knows it or not, her powers will come into play once again. Only this time, we will succeed. The Titans will be ready for me...but they will not be prepared for her.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please drop a kudos and leave a review if you like what you've read. I'm not sure when I'll update again, but I'll go back to developing Robin and Starfire's budding relationship in the next chapter and how it intertwines with this new threat. Not sure when I'll get the chance to update, because I'm writing this as I go, but hopefully it's sooner rather than later.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for the people who have read this so far. I'm not sure how frequently I can get updates out, but I'll do my best to keep them coming at least somewhat regularly. Please, if you enjoy what you're reading, leave a kudos and a comment. It really inspires me to keep writing when I know there are readers enjoying it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Because of Robin’s injuries, Starfire had to help him into the tower. The Titans had prevented Kardiak from doing too much damage, but everyone’s minds were on the bigger issue of Slade’s return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to keep an eye out for the other villains Slade may have released,” Robin said. “I’m afraid Kardiak is only the beginning. I can start doing some research from the tower, since obviously I’m in no position to fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We need to take you to the sick bay and figure out the damage Kardiak did to you first,” Cyborg said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a couple of broken ribs at worst. Honestly, I don’t feel all that bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still need to do a complete body scan just to be safe,” Cyborg replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, Robin,” Starfire said, “we must make sure that we understand the extent of your injuries before we devise a plan to thwart the efforts of Slade.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire’s pleading was enough to convince Robin to let his friends help him. They made their way up to the sick bay, and Starfire laid Robin gently down on one of the beds. Cyborg then hooked Robin up to the monitors beside the bed and began preparing an EKG. Once that was done, Cyborg’s shoulder opened up to reveal a scanning device that could analyze Robin’s injuries. A blue light traced itself up and down Robin’s body, and the results of the scan printed on a monitor at his wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were right, man,” Cyborg said. “Looks like you have five broken ribs. Luckily, you don’t have any signs of a punctured lung. Bedrest for six weeks should allow the ribs to heal themselves. We can get you ice for the pain, and we’ll have to monitor your breathing in case you develop pneumonia, but other than that your prognosis looks good. You got off lucky, man. Knowing Slade, it could’ve been way worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shall stay by your side while you are in recovery,” Starfire said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Star,” Robin said with a small smile, “but if there’s any trouble, we can’t afford to have two members missing in action.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got a whole network of new recruits,” Cyborg said. “We could call someone to substitute in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The other members have been sent across the globe to take care of regional threats worldwide,” Robin said. “It’s just the five of us here covering the western half of the States. If things get really bad, we can call Bumblebee and get some temporary help from Steel City, but I think the four of you can handle things otherwise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I shall remain by your side whenever things are quiet,” Starfire responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“”That sounds like a good compromise,” Robin said. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is no need to mention it,” Starfire said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cyborg, can you bring my laptop in here?” Robin asked. “Since I have all this free time, I might as well do some research about what Slade has been up to. The intel can help us the next time he rears his ugly head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing. I’ll bring it down now.” Cyborg left the room to retrieve Robin’s laptop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beast Boy, can you keep an eye on the scanners and let the team know if any alerts come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem, dude. I’ll watch those scanners like a hawk.” With that, Beast Boy morphed into a hawk and flew out of the room. Robin started to chuckle, but doing so sent a jolt of pain through his ribs, so he had to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Raven, maybe you can use your ice magic to numb the pain in my ribs for a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Raven said. Her hands began to glow a pale shade of blue, and she placed her hands close to Robin’s chest. The cooling sensation was already starting to help Robin’s ribs feel better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Star, can you get some ice packs from the freezer and bring them down here? Raven can help for now, but if you guys need to take care of any trouble out there, I’m going to need a substitute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, dear friend. I shall return shortly with the packs of ice.” Starfire flew out of the room, leaving Raven and Robin alone in the sick bay. Raven continued to pass her hands over Robin’s chest, and the pain in his ribs started to dull gradually over time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Raven,” Robin said. “This feels good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mention it,” Raven responded. “Actually I did want to mention something that's been on my mind ever since seeing Kardiak earlier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Robin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was trying to keep up with the news on the return trip from Tokyo,” Raven replied. “It looks like there was some amateur footage captured of that final showdown against the ink monster Daizo summoned. One of those stupid celebrity news shows that your girlfriend insisted on watching aired footage of you two kissing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Robin asked. “Why didn’t I see it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were asleep at the time,” Raven said. “Star and I decided it was best not to mention it, and I didn’t think anything of it again until we saw Kardiak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Kardiak, then?” Robin asked. “I don’t see the connection yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we know Slade is one of the most meticulous villains we have ever encountered. Nothing is an accident, everything about his plans is determined with insane attention to detail. How many villains did we freeze in the Brotherhood of Evil’s hideout? I’d say at least a few dozen. So why does Slade pick Kardiak, and only Kardiak, to attack us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is odd,” Robin said. “He could have sent a whole slew of villains after us, but just one? To be honest, that was bothering me, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking about it the entire ride back to the tower, and then I realized the connection. In Tokyo, you were finally true to your heart and you allowed yourself to follow it and start dating Starfire. I think the reason Slade sent Kardiak, a literal giant heart, after us was to send a message that he is aware of your relationship, and he might try to exploit it. You and Starfire need to be careful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin frowned and grunted. Half of him hoped that Raven was overreacting, looking into things too deeply, but the other half knew that she was right to be paranoid. Slade never did anything by accident. Robin knew him far too well to be able to deny that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be sure to look into it,” Robin said. “If Slade thinks he can use Starfire to get to me, he’s got another think coming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doors to the sick bay opened, and Cyborg and Starfire came into the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feeling better?” Cyborg asked Robin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Raven’s been a big help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have brought the packs of ice as requested,” Starfire said.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I got your laptop,” Cyborg added. “I’m sure you’re ready to go to work to figure out what Slade's planning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Starfire and I can get on it,” Robin said. “You and Raven can go for now. I think the ice packs will suffice, and Star and I could use some time to talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything okay?” Starfire asked, a frown forming on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re okay, Star,” Robin said. “Raven and I were just talking about a theory, so I just wanted to fill you in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right, man,” Cyborg said. “The two of us will see what Beast Boy’s up to. Let’s go, Rae.” Cyborg and Raven left the room, leaving Robin and Starfire alone. Starfire placed one of the ice packs on Robin’s chest. Robin let out a sigh, the direct contact helping to further numb the pain in his ribs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Raven thinks Slade knows about the two of us dating,” Robin said. “Something about it being on the news, she said you were watching.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Raven said that the kind of journalism on that show was ‘yellow.’ I was not sure what she meant, because neither of the journalists were wearing any shade of yellow during the report.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In spite of himself, Robin almost started to laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what she meant by yellow journalism, but that’s not important. She mentioned that it was weird that Slade would choose to attack us with a heart, like it was a symbol referring to our relationship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand now,” Starfire said. “Slade’s plans have always been most cruel, but he will be no match for us when we encounter him. I assure you that if he chooses to attack us, I will not hold back.” Starfire’s eyes already started to glow green at the very thought. Robin reached up and placed a hand on her arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I completely agree,” he said, “and I’m glad to see you so fired up about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I care about you deeply,” Starfire said. “I am sure you already knew that, but I am not sure you understand to what degree.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what degree are you referring to?” Robin asked. Starfire’s skin began to glow again as she leaned forward and kissed Robin gingerly on the lips. Robin returned the affection, and the two of them locked lips. Robin could feel himself getting excited, but he knew that with his rib injury, there would be no way to escalate the affection without risking further harm. Perhaps that was something Slade had planned, too, because Robin was feeling a sense of frustration that he couldn’t do with Stafire everything he had imagined since they met.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Star, can you please?” Robin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is something the matter?” Starfire asked, lifting her head away from Robin’s so he could talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Well...yes and no, I mean. I appreciate the affection, I really do, but in my current condition, we can’t do everything I want to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean when you say everything?” Starfire asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin beckoned her over, so Starfire lowered her head again so that he could whisper into her ear. Robin made his desires explicitly known, and Starfire was blushing fiercely when he was finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see,” was all she could think to say. “Forgive me, I am still quite unfamiliar with your Earthly customs of affection.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay,” Robin said. “I’ll be sure to teach you at some point when I am less...indisposed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire gave him one of her winning smiles, which Robin couldn’t help but return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was then that he realized just how much her optimism meant to him. Ever since the accident that had killed his parents, Robin had known little else but darkness and sorrow. Being taken in by a mentor as serious as Batman, and then leading his own team through a series of villainous attacks and crises, had left him feeling far more dour than he had ever felt comfortable with. But since becoming friends with Starfire, Robin had started to learn that even though the affairs of the world could be grim, it was still possible to face them with happiness and hope.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps that, more than anything, was what had attracted Robin to Starfire in the first place. He had fantasized about dating her from the moment he met her, and now the moments that he had thought would be nothing more than dreams were starting to become a reality. He intended to show Starfire just how much that meant to him someday, but now was not the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin opened up his laptop and tried to sit up in enough of a position to see what he was doing, but the movement caused more pain in his ribs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” Starfire asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just need some help propping myself up a little,” Robin replied. “Can you hold the ice pack steady while I try to sit up a bit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Starfire said. With her help, Robin was able to sit in a more comfortable position to use his laptop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Robin said. Starfire gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. Her smiles were infectious, Robin realized, as he couldn’t help but offer his own in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you hoping to discover with your research?” Starfire asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First I want to see if Slade’s made any other moves since his return,” Robin responded. He had pulled up a three-dimensional model of Jump City, and was scrolling through it to see if he could pick up any strange activity. The Titans had set up radar, infrared and ultraviolet sensors, and security cameras around Jump City after petitioning the mayor once it was clear that the city was becoming a hub for vicious criminal activity. Robin was able to log into the system now to observe any unusual activity. He was trying to see if Slade had made any kind of moves since he had encountered him at the park.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he scanned the city, the thing he noticed most was that there was nothing to notice. Scanners were picking up no unusual levels of energy or any other signs of nefarious activity. Security footage also revealed no malicious activity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everything's completely quiet," Robin said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is this not good news?" Starfire asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Normally it would be, but after seeing Slade again, it makes me worried." Robin's brow furrowed as he continued his scan. Still, he found no sign of any activity. "You'd think Slade wouldn't waste any time planning his next move, especially since he knows I'm out of the game for a while."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you propose we do in this situation?" Starfire asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I suppose the others can keep an eye on things for now. I can use the downtime to do some research, maybe figure out what else Slade's been doing outside of Jump City."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I agree that would be useful." Starfire said, kissing Robin on his forehead. "Perhaps you require nourishment. I am starting to feel the pains of hunger myself. Can I bring you something to eat?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With everything that had happened throughout the day, food had not been on Robin's mind. However, now that Starfire had mentioned it, he was feeling hungry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Food sounds pretty good right about now," Robin said. "Just...can you do me a favor and make sure Cyborg prepares it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Am I to take it that you do not wish for me to prepare you a meal myself?" Starfire asked, a frown forming on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin's stomach was now squirming with nerves in addition to hunger. "I'm sorry, Star, I didn't mean—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To his relief, Starfire began to laugh. "It is alright, Robin. I am aware that my culinary habits from Tamaran are not to the taste of the people of Earth. I take no offense."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin's discomfort vanished and he couldn't help but smile. "Good one, Star. You got me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire beamed with pride. "Since I cannot be your chef, I can at least be your server. On what do you wish to dine this evening?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I could really go for a cheeseburger and fries. Make sure that's real meat and not any of Beast Boy's tofu."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire giggled. "I shall pass your request onto Cyborg and be back shortly."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Starfire gave Robin another kiss, this time on the cheek, and flew out of the sick bay. With Robin now lying alone, his thoughts turned to Slade. He couldn't help feeling that the lull in activity was the calm before the storm. He was still unsure about why Slade was lying low in the first place. There would be no reason for him to delay in preparation unless it was to mess with Robin's head, and Robin figured that was not enough of an incentive for him to lie low and waste valuable time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin focused his energy back on his research. The only lead he had was that Slade had allegedly freed all of the villains who had been frozen in the Brotherhood of Evil's hideout in Paris. Robin then realized that perhaps French news agencies would have reported about the incident. Maybe Robin could find a clue there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin began searching all of the French news organizations he could find to see if he could find a lead, knowing full well that he had to make the most of what time he had. If Slade truly was lying low, it wouldn't be for long.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>A thin, blonde student was walking home from school with her taller, brunette friend. They'd heard about Kardiak attacking the park, but that kind of news was expected in Jump City. At least the Titans had been there to save the day, indicating that they had returned from their trip to Tokyo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can't believe more people weren't hurt by that freaky machine earlier," the brunette said. "Heard the Titans showed up pretty quickly to take that thing down."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, pretty lucky they came back just in time," the blonde replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you think Robin really got hurt? I heard that thing went to town on him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know, Ashley," the blonde replied. "If he did, I hope he's okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Heard Beast Boy did a pretty big number on him," Ashley said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde girl sighed. "I wish you wouldn't do that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do what? All I said was—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You and I both know what you were implying," the blonde girl said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lighten up, Tara. I was just teasing you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'd rather just forget the whole thing," Tara responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unbeknownst to either of them, a man was stalking them from the shadows. He had made sure to dress in plainclothes so as not to arouse any suspicion. The only problem was that he needed to get his target alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He'd been tracking Tara's movements since returning to Jump City, and there was never a moment when Tara was reliably alone. In the time he'd spent following her, he learned that Tara had no family in the area, and that she was instead living at her friend Ashley's house. They walked to and from school together, so there was never a moment for him to isolate Tara to safely abduct her unseen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had hoped to avoid this, but it seemed the only choice he had now was to abduct her in the dead of night when everyone in her house was asleep. However, he was not sure if Tara had a private bedroom where she lived. That was what he was going to discover tonight, and if that was the case, he would have his former apprentice back again and would be ready to start Phase 2. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Once the girl is mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>the Titans will be at my mercy.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There we have it. Ideas are starting to form in my head about where I want to take this story. To be honest, I don't have anything set in stone about where to take this story, but that's freeing me up to follow any idea that comes to mind.</p><p>Not sure when I'll write the next chapter, but hopefully it will be soon. Thanks again for reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello. I'm back with a new chapter. At first, I wasn't sure I was ready to write this one, but I decided to suck it up and try anyway. Now, I'm really excited about this chapter, because I think this is where the ball really gets rolling. If you like what you read, please leave a kudos and a comment. I appreciate it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were in the main ops room. Raven was looking over a map of the city, seeing if there was any illicit activity that needed the attention of the Titans. So far, nothing unordinary was occurring. There were some smaller, pettier crimes happening, but this was normal for an urban area, and the local police force was capable of handling those concerns. Meanwhile, Cyborg was busy preparing Robin’s order of a cheeseburger and fries, and Beast Boy was listening to a boombox with headphones plugged in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Things are far too quiet,” Raven said. Cyborg looked over at the projection on screen and frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No sign of Slade anywhere?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raven shook her head. Cyborg grunted and returned his attention to the grill where Robin’s burger was sizzling. The smell of the ground beef cooking wafted through the room. When Beast Boy took a sniff, his face scrunched up and he shook his head, then paused his music and took off his headphones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, I know I’m the only vegetarian here,” he said, “and normally I wouldn’t make a big deal about it, but you know how weird that stuff smells to me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t like it,” Raven said without even turning her head to face Beast Boy, “the door is that way.” She pointed at the exit doors behind her on the opposite wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, it’s fine,” Beast Boy said. “I’d rather chill here with you guys. I’ll just move over there, away from the grill.” He picked up his boombox and situated himself next to Raven. She felt an odd sort of energy course through her veins, but remained outwardly stoic. Beast Boy took a quick glance at the map of Jump City projected on the screen. Cyborg flipped the patty, as it was now sufficiently cooked on one side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So...what’s up?” Beast Boy asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not much,” Raven replied, as deadpan as ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them remained seated for a while, not moving. Raven could still feel an uneasiness in her stomach, but she did her best to quelch it. The last thing she needed was for Beast Boy to get the wrong idea. That is, if she understood what would even constitute the wrong idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This feeling in her stomach was bothering her a bit, she had to admit. Being so cognizant of her feelings, she knew exactly what had brought that on. It was when Beast Boy had managed to find Terra. At the time, she had thought the nerves were because of Terra’s past history of betraying the team by becoming Slade’s apprentice. When it had become clear to everyone that Terra had no desire to rejoin either the team or Slade, Raven had thought the uneasy feeling would go away. Now, however, she realized that her nervous energy had actually grown stronger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After seeing Robin and Starfire finally accepting their feelings for each other and beginning to date, the discomfort became even more pronounced. And now that Beast Boy was sitting next to her, more than likely completely oblivious of her discomfort, the realization of the origin of these feelings was finally becoming clear. Unfortunately, Raven was not happy with the answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello? You there?” Beast Boy asked, waving his hand in front of Raven’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You looked like you were totally zoning out for a sec,” Beast Boy said. “I made the funniest joke about going after some jaywalkers to stay loose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wasn’t funny,” Cyborg said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beast Boy turned to give him a glare, then diverted his attention back to Raven. “Anyway, you didn’t make a sarcastic remark like you usually do. Were you doing that meditation thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Raven said, hoping Beast Boy would stop asking her stupid questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um...okay? Except normally I thought you’d be mumbling your catchphrase over and over like you usually do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t do that every time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beast Boy shrugged, and then his stomach started to rumble. “Must be dinnertime. I’d go make myself a salad, but Cy’s still cooking that slab of meat out there. You almost done, Cy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just about,” Cyborg said. “I’m gonna bring this to the sick bay. Kitchen’s yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweet,” Beast Boy said, getting up and scrambling to the kitchen to make himself dinner. The uneasy feeling in Raven’s stomach diminished a bit, but much to her chagrin it did not disappear completely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After Cyborg left the ops room to bring Robin his meal, only Raven and Beast Boy remained. Raven was hoping against all hope that Beast Boy would leave her be, even though she knew that wasn’t likely to happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So now that Robin and Starfire are a thing,” Beast Boy said, “I wonder if the rest of us should start dating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raven sighed. This was the last conversation she wanted to be having, but she decided to play along. “Last time I opened myself up to that, the guy turned out to be a hideous dragon. I’m in no rush to do that again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep, your bad,” Beast Boy said with a chuckle that irked Raven to no end, but still she remained stoic. “Man, you know when Terra was around, before she went all psycho on us, I thought she and I might have a chance. You know, when we found out she was alive and still in Jump City, I thought maybe we could put the past behind us and she could come back on the team, you know? Try it again but this time do it right. But, turns out she wants nothing to do with us now.” There was a shift in Beast Boy’s mood as he said that. He was now frowning with his shoulders drooping, and Raven could swear that she felt the energy of the room become depressed along with him. She wasn’t sure why she was suddenly so sensitive to Beast Boy’s emotional state, but now instead of feeling annoyed, she was starting to feel sorry for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know she meant a lot to you,” she responded. “To all of us, really, but you most of all. Look, I didn’t really mention this at the time, but I’m sorry about how all that affected you. You didn’t deserve to have your heart broken like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beast Boy’s sad face now changed to one of surprise. He looked at Raven, and she could sense within him the combination of shock and vulnerability, and it in turn made her feel self-conscious. “That’s one of the nicest things you’ve ever said to me,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t get used to it,” Raven said, giving him a smirk with the hopes that her attempt at sarcasm would defuse him a bit. Beast Boy chuckled a bit, but then returned to preparing his salad without another word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doors opened, and Cyborg came back into the main ops room. “Looks like Robin and Starfire are taking advantage of their alone time,” he said with a smirk. Raven rolled her eyes and Beast Boy chuckled. Fortunately, Cyborg’s quip did enough to break the awkwardness that had been building. “Still no signs of life out there?” Cyborg asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t appear that way,” Raven said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we have time for dinner then,” Cyborg said. “Looks like Beast Boy’s got his usual serving of rabbit food. I’ll whip something up for you and me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Raven said. “Was Starfire not hungry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looked like she was making a meal out of Robin’s face when I showed up,” Cyborg said. “I don’t think the girl really knows how to kiss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beast Boy started cracking up in a fit of laughter, and even Raven found herself smiling at the imagery in spite of herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure she’ll get the hang of it with time,” Raven said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hope so,” Cyborg replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Cyborg prepared dinner for him and Raven, she allowed herself to get lost in thought again. Perhaps Beast Boy had a point. Maybe it was time for the rest of the team to put themselves out there as well. They had focused so much on hero work, that it was no surprise that personal relationships had to take a backseat. Even though Slade had returned, maybe it was time for the team to reconsider its priorities. Raven gave Beast Boy a glance, and her stomach began fluttering again, but then she looked away and scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wished she was better at denying how she was feeling, but over the years Raven had developed enough insight to stop kidding herself. That had been out of necessity, of course, since misunderstanding her emotions could have literally gotten her friends killed. She hated to admit it to herself, but it seemed that the green shapeshifter had caught her interest. She had no idea if this feeling was requited, but until she was absolutely sure, she wasn’t going to make a move. Unfortunately, Beast Boy struck her as so unaware that it was very unlikely he’d reach out to her even if he did feel the same way. It appeared, then, that Raven would have to be patient. However, just how long she would have to be patient for remained to be seen.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>With Starfire at his side, Robin was doing as much research as he could among French media outlets, trying to figure out how Slade had found the villains they’d frozen at the hideout of the Brotherhood of Evil. Unfortunately, all of the articles were written in French, so Robin had had to make liberal use of an online translator to try to piece together the stories he was reading.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn it,” he said after trying to read the fifth or sixth translated article in very broken English. “Why couldn’t the Brotherhood have built their headquarters in London? Translating these news articles and trying to piece them together is slowing me down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps if we had a French boy here, I could kiss him and learn how to read these articles,” Starfire said. The remark caught Robin off guard, and he started to laugh in spite of himself. “My mark has amused you,” Starfire said, “but my suggestion was serious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin took a breath and turned to Starfire. “At some point, we’re going to have to compare notes. I can tell there’s a culture gap between your Tamaranean customs of courtship and our Earthly ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe that would be most helpful,” Starfire responded. She kissed Robin on the cheek and giggled. Her skin was starting to glow a bit, and Robin felt a twinge of excitement in spite of himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I know what the problem is,” Robin said. “This headquarters was secretive, so it’s possible that no French journalists were even aware of what was going on. See, look at this article.” Robin switched to one particular tab with a translated article. “This is the closest article I’ve found acknowledging what happened, and all they report is of an explosion of an abandoned building. Looking at the surrounding foliage, I think this must have been where the hideout was, only nobody knew what this building was being used for. Slade probably freed the villains and then destroyed the hideout to conceal evidence about what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your reasoning is sound,” Starfire replied, “but what does that mean for our mission?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not much,” Robin said. “I hate not being in control of our work, but it looks like we’ll have to see what kind of a move Slade makes first. We won’t have anything to go on until he takes some sort of action. Then we can intervene and try to find out more.” Robin closed the laptop and rubbed his mask. He hadn’t realized it, but he was starting to feel tired and famished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I am to take it that your research is complete for the time being?” Starfire asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Knowing me, probably not for long,” Robin said, “but I could use a break. Hope Cyborg comes back with that burger and fries soon, because I’m starving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire kneeled to bring her face level with Robin’s. “When do you think he will be returning?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea,” Robin said, “but we might have at least a minute or two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire giggled and then leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Robin’s lips. Robin eagerly returned the kiss with his own, and soon their kisses became more passionate. Robin could feel a gentle warmth radiating from Starfire, and when he opened his eyes briefly to look at her, her skin was glowing more strongly. It was easier to see this in the dim light of the sick bay, since it was now nighttime. After a bit, Starfire started to kiss every part of Robin’s face. Although this surprised Robin, he stifled his laughter to avoid killing the mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As it turned out, it wouldn’t have mattered, because at the most inopportune moment, Cyborg came in with Robin’s dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Man, I guess I shouldn’t leave you two alone for too long,” he said with a booming laugh. Starfire pulled away from Robin and stood up straight, blushing furiously. Robin could tell that he was blushing as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should’ve knocked first,” Robin said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wish,” Cyborg said. “Anyway, I’ve got your dinner. Got you a soda to go with it, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Robin said. “This looks delicious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem, man,” Cyborg said. “Star, you want anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will prepare my meal later,” she said. “I know that it is difficult for the people of Earth to prepare the kind of food that I normally eat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Suit yourself,” Cyborg said. “Anyway, I’ll leave you two alone now. In the meantime, Star, try not to make a meal out of Robin’s face.” Cyborg let out another laugh and left the room. Robin chuckled in spite of himself, but he started to feel a pain in his ribs again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not sure I understand the joke,” Starfire said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Star,” Robin said. “Like I said, we’ll have to compare notes at some point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire smiled in response. Robin took a bite out of the cheeseburger Cyborg had prepared, and of course it was perfect. Cyborg had lightly toasted the bun and cooked the meat to the perfect temperature. “You ever wonder how Cyborg got so good at cooking?” he asked through a mouthful of burger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not sure,” Starfire responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have to ask him sometime,” Robin said. As he continued to eat, though, his concerns about Slade’s plans began to return. “I really wish we at least had some lead on Slade’s plans,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Waiting for him to make the first move is not ideal,” Starfire responded, “but I am not sure what else we could do in the meantime.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe the four of you could go out on patrol tonight,” Robin said. “Whatever he’s planning, I think he’s more likely to strike in the dead of night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can relay this to the rest of the team,” Starfire said. “I agree that patrolling with our own eyes would be more beneficial than scanning the city using our technology here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to go out now,” Robin said. “I at least want to enjoy dinner first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Understood,” Starfire said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Robin continued to eat the cheeseburger and fries Cyborg had prepared, he had some time to reflect. He couldn’t recall a time when so many things in his life felt like they were going so right, while so many other things were going so wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being with Starfire at last, after all these years, was so exciting. He had known how he felt from the beginning, but he’d had no idea that Starfire felt the same way until recently. He wished he’d made his feelings known sooner, of course, but he understood that that wish was because of hindsight. He would have hated to stick his neck out there only to be rejected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But in the background was Slade, the team’s greatest threat. Not knowing anything of his plans was bothering Robin. Of course, this had never stopped them from defeating him before, but Robin had a feeling that Slade had learned from his mistakes and would be trying even harder to take the team down. As the team leader, Robin felt most of the responsibility on his shoulders, especially since he had been Slade’s first target.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, an idea struck him. He remembered what Beast Boy had reported to him about seeing a robotic Slade in the house of mirrors on the boardwalk. It was clear that Slade was aware that Terra had resurfaced, which meant that he might be coming after Terra as part of his plan. Did Slade actually know where Terra was? If so, did she remember anything of her powers?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is something the matter?” Starfire asked, jolting Robin out of his thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Star, remember Beast Boy ran into that schoolgirl that looked like Terra?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I do, but she had no desire to remember her past, nor did she seem to have retained her power to move rocks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think Slade may try to go after her,” Robin said. “The problem is, I don’t know where she lives, and I don’t know if Slade does. Can you get the rest of the team and bring them here? I think we need to discuss this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shall bring them here, then. I will return shortly.” Starfire flew out of the room and made her way towards the main ops room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While she was away, thoughts began bouncing in Robin’s head. If Slade was trying to go after Terra, it would be of paramount importance for the team to find her first. Whether Terra really had lost her powers or simply refused to use them again was unclear. However, the idea that Slade would try to find her and answer that question for himself seemed all too likely. Robin hoped that Beast Boy would be able to find her, since no one in the team had any idea where in Jump City she lived.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As promised, Starfire returned with the rest of the team. They had all brought their dinners with them, and Starfire herself had grabbed herself a jar of mustard as a quick snack. Normally the team would make a wisecrack about this, but the urgency of the current situation superseded that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really think Slade might be going after Terra?” Beast Boy asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know that he knows about her resurrection,” Robin said, “because one of his machines told you that at the house of mirrors. I don’t know if he knows where she lives, though. I don’t think he’d dare abduct her from school. Too many potential witnesses. Tonight, though, he might try to find her. We need to get to her first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t she take the communicator I offered her?” Beast Boy asked, slamming his fist in frustration. “We could’ve been able to warn her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t change that now,” Robin said, “so it’s going to be up to the four of you to try to find her. We have to find her now, or risk losing her to Slade. Beast Boy, do you think you might be able to find her by scent?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe, but it’d be way easier if I had something that had her scent on it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about that heart-shaped box you made her?” Cyborg asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been too long, the scent’s now faded,” Beast Boy said. “I should know. I still have it in my room, and for a while I took a whiff of it at night when I was missing her. There’s barely any trace of her on it now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have anything on you that she might have touched more recently?” Robin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I don’t think I do,” Beast Boy said, looking like he was either about to punch something or start crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We might be able to find something at the school,” Cyborg said. “It’s our only sure bet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then go, now,” Robin said. “Get over to her school and see if you can find anything that matches Terra’s scent. Beast Boy, would you know it if you smelled it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I would,” Beast Boy said. “I couldn’t forget her scent even if I wanted to, believe me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then it sounds like we’ve got a plan,” Cyborg said. “Let’s move out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep me posted,” Robin said. “I’ll monitor things from in here. Find Terra, no matter what it takes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire gave Robin a parting kiss on the forehead, and then she and the rest of the team left the sick bay. Robin took a deep breath, reopened the laptop, and pulled up the model of Jump City he had been scanning earlier. He hoped against all hope that they had enough time to find Terra before Slade did. Being stuck in bed was the last place he wished he could be right now, but there was no helping that now. He now had to rely on his teammates to get the job done. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I just hope we’re not too late</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought to himself.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Tara,” Ashley said. Tara rolled her eyes. Since she had returned to Jump City, her friend Ashley always made sure to say goodnight to her before they went to bed. Tara slept in a guest room on the first floor, and Ashley would always make sure to say goodnight to her before going to her own bedroom on the second floor. At first, it had annoyed Tara, but she realized now that for Ashley, routines were important. Once Tara had stopped complaining about it, it had made things easier for Ashley and for herself as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Ashe,” Tara responded. Ashley smiled and shut the door, leaving Tara alone in her room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They lived in a suburb of Jump City, which was much more peaceful than the city itself was at night. Tara was aware of the amount of crime that happened in the more urban parts of Jump City, but in the neighborhood where Ashley lived, things were much quieter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At night, just before bed, was the only time Tara allowed for herself to reflect on her earliest memory. She had woken up in a dark cave, completely unaware of how she had gotten there. The only thing that had given her any clue about who she was was the placard that she’d apparently been standing on. The placard had displayed “Terra: A Teen Titan - a true friend” so she had determined that Terra must have been her name. She'd had no idea what being a Teen Titan meant though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had then stumbled out of the cave and somehow found herself in the middle of a city that she had no memory of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first people she had run into were a group of girls who looked to have been around her age. Ashley had been one of those girls. They had looked at her strangely, and she had almost run from them in fright, but Ashley had decided to introduce herself to her instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Ashley,” she had said, slowly walking towards her. “What’s your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Terra,” she had tried to respond, but her voice had come out strained. She'd started to cough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You okay, Tara?" Ashley had replied. She'd pronounced the name differently, making the first syllable rhyme with car. For some reason, she decided not to correct her. Whatever that strange placard had been about, it was probably better not to associate herself with that name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm fine," Tara responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you lost?” Ashley asked. "You seem a little dazed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tara had almost started crying. “I don’t know,” she had replied. “I don’t know who I am or where I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you come with us?” Ashley asked. “My mom works to help kids like you. She runs a youth center not too far from here. Why don’t I take you there and we can clean you up, then try to figure out where you belong. You look like you could use a change of clothes anyway."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tara had taken a moment to see how she was dressed. She'd had on nothing but strange metallic armor and tattered bandages, quite different from the normal clothing Ashley and her friends were wearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay," Tara had decided. "I'll go with you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had all been a blur after that. Ashley had taken Tara to the youth center, where she’d had the chance to shower and put on a fresh change of clothes. Tara could still feel the tears in her eyes that had formed when Ashley’s mom had invited her to stay with them. There had been so many other kids at that youth center, and Tara had wondered why she had been chosen over all of them to live with her new friend, but she had chosen not to question it too much. At the time, she had just been grateful for a place to live.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d started going to Ashley’s school after that. When she’d introduced herself there, the teacher had written her name on the board, but had spelled it as “T-A-R-A.” It was a different spelling than the name on the placard, but Tara had decided she liked that spelling better anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that she’d been attending high school for almost a year, Tara’s routine had settled down, and she’d started to feel like she was almost normal. Then Beast Boy had shown up. Tara had learned who Beast Boy was from the news, but she hadn’t understood why he’d wanted to talk to her. He’d called her "Terra" and not "Tara," which had made her realize that the two of them likely had a history. She had chosen to question why he had called her that as a way of keeping him distant. Regardless he had claimed that she used to fight crime with him, even though she’d had no memory of it, and at one point he'd said she could move the Earth and thrown mud at her face. That had been a decidedly weird couple of days, but thankfully the hero had left her alone after a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she’d mentioned it to Ashley and her parents, Ashley’s mom had reacted strongly. She had told Tara to not listen to anything Beast Boy had claimed to know about her. When Tara had asked why, Ashley’s mother had explained that the kind of work he and his team did was far too dangerous, and that if Tara had chosen to “run off” with him, that she was likely to get herself killed. Tara had promised her that she wouldn’t do anything reckless, that she was grateful to have a home and a stable life, and that had been the end of it. Tara had wondered about that afterward for a while, but as weeks had gone on and Beast Boy had not returned, she had stopped worrying about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tara had been reflecting on all of this every night before bed, but as time had passed, the confusion and fear had grown smaller. By now, it was a distant memory. She’d long since accepted that she would never quite understand her past, and she had made the decision long ago not to seek out answers. She liked her life as it was now. She didn’t want to look into her past too closely for fear of breaking the illusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her stream of thought was interrupted when she heard the bushes outside begin to rustle. It was not a windy night, so the movement of the bushes struck her as odd. She listened for any other movement outside, but after some time with no other noises, she wrote it off. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Probably just a squirrel</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then she heard three gentle knocks on the window. Tara realized now that whatever was out there, it was definitely no squirrel. Another three knocks on the window, and it was clear that whatever was out there wasn’t going to go away. Five knocks this time, and Tara realized that she would have to shoo away whoever was outside her window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she went to the window to tell off the creep that was outside, she was shocked at what she saw.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh no! I landed on a cliffhanger. Curious to know what happens next? Me, too, because I haven't quite figured it out either! I'm already thinking about how to start the next chapter, so hopefully it won't be too long before then.</p><p>Also, I had to make some edits in this chapter. There was a section from the "Things Change" episode that I misremembered and my writing didn't take it into account. I have done my best to correct the error in a way that doesn't change the overall story. Thank you for bearing with me.</p><p>If you liked what you read, please leave a kudos and comment, and don't forget to subscribe to me and the story so you'll be updated when a new chapter goes live. Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi. It looks like I'll be able to post one chapter of this fic per weekend for the time being, in case you're interested in my schedule. No guarantees, but I think that's a frequency I can commit to for now. I'll let you know if anything changes.</p><p>I had to edit some parts of Chapter 4 after learning about an issue with canon that I had forgotten. It's nothing major, so you don't need to reread it if you don't want to, but if you're curious, most of the changes are in the final part.</p><p>If you enjoy this chapter, please leave kudos and a review. Every reaction helps me know that you enjoyed what you read and is a strong motivator. Thank you.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Who are you?” Tara screamed at the man outside her window. He was tall and well-built with gray hair and an eyepatch over his right eye. He placed a small disc with a flashing light making beeping noises on the window. The flashing and beeping quickened, and then it exploded. Tara was thrown back into the dresser behind her, smashing her head and back on the wood and slumping to the floor. The man leapt through the opening in the wall, grabbed the unconscious girl, and left before anyone else came to investigate the noise.</p><p>Knowing he had very little time before the Titans arrived, the man threw Tara into the back of a sedan he had parked a few blocks down. Before he was able to enter the car and drive away, a starbolt hit him and knocked him across the street.</p><p>The man groaned and looked up to see Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy as a pterodactyl carrying Cyborg coming towards him. There was no way they should have gotten here that quickly. Something had not gone according to plan. He would have to improvise in order to escape.</p><p>“Who is this man?” Starfire asked.</p><p>Beast Boy set Cyborg down and morphed back into his human form. “Doesn’t matter. He’s got Terra, so we’ve gotta take him down.”</p><p>Clearly, they didn’t recognize him because he wasn’t wearing his usual armor. Rather than taunt them, he stayed silent and ran towards the four Titans. Starfire and Raven launched projectiles at him while Cyborg shot his sonic cannon. The man rolled out of the way of all three attacks, but then Beast Boy as a rhinoceros rammed him square in the chest. The man was thrown back, but was able to quickly regain his footing to dodge another flurry of projectiles.</p><p>“The old guy’s faster than he looks,” Cyborg said. “Stay alert, team.”</p><p>The man pulled out some explosive discs from his belt and threw them at Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven. Raven put up a dark aura to deflect the one meant for her, but Starfire and Cyborg were thrown back by the explosions. Raven then lifted a sewer lid telekinetically and hurled it towards the old man. He ducked under the lid and then leapt over Beast Boy as he charged towards him as a cheetah. The old man then threw another projectile towards Beast Boy. He jumped out of the way, but the explosion’s radius was larger than he anticipated, and it knocked him into the air. Raven grabbed onto Beast Boy and lowered him to the ground, but then the man ran up to her and punched her. The attack sent her flying backwards.</p><p>“He’s stronger than he looks, too,” she said. Before the man could continue to attack her, he was hit in the back with a starbolt. Starfire continued to launch starbolts, and the flurry of attacks kept him from getting back up as he was knocked into the ground. Cyborg took advantage and aimed a sonic cannon blast at the man as well. The man was knocked even further back, but somehow he was able to regain his footing. He threw more projectiles towards his assailants, but instead of exploding, they released smoke. Starfire and Cyborg began to cough and had to stop attacking to shield their eyes.</p><p>“This is...nasty smoke,” Cyborg said as he was choking. “You...getting this, Robin?”</p><p>“<em>I’ve been watching through your eyes, and from what I’ve seen, I can confirm this is Slade </em> ,” Robin said. The rest of the team could hear him through earpieces they had attached before leaving. “ <em> I’ve studied him for far too long to mistake this man for anything else. </em>”</p><p>“We...can’t hold him off much longer,” Cyborg said. “I...can’t even...see how Rae and BB...are holding up.”</p><p>“We’re okay,” Raven said. She was heading for the car where she knew Terra was being held. Suddenly, she felt something latch onto her back. A surge of electricity coursed through her body. She screamed and collapsed on the ground.</p><p>“Raven!” Beast Boy yelled. He started to run towards her, but he was hit in the head and knocked to the ground. Slade had hit him with a metallic bo staff, and Beast Boy felt dizzy and sick from the force of the blow. With the four Titans temporarily incapicated, Slade took his chance. He quickly got into the car, started it, and took off before any of the Titans could stop him. Just before he drove out of sight, Cyborg launched one last projectile: a small GPS tracker that would lead them to wherever the car was heading.</p><p>The smoke had cleared enough for Cyborg and Starfire to stop coughing as fitfully. The projectile that had attacked Raven ran out of charge, so she removed it from her back. Beast Boy was still dizzy and nauseous, but he was able to slowly get back to his feet. “We lost him?” he asked. “He got away?”</p><p>“He took Terra,” Cyborg said, “but I’ve got a tracker on his getaway vehicle. We should be able to find him with the T-Car.”</p><p>“Where’s he heading?” Raven asked.</p><p>Cyborg pulled up a feed on his wrist that had a low-resolution map of Jump City and its suburbs. A red dot indicated where the tracker was broadcasting from.</p><p>“He’s headed east towards the city proper,” Cyborg said. “We can follow him, but we’ll need to keep our distance so he knows we’re not in pursuit.”</p><p>“<em>Be careful </em> ,” Robin said. “ <em> He might be leading you into a trap. </em>”</p><p>“We’ll be okay,” Cyborg said. He and Starfire were still coughing a bit, and Beast Boy was still dizzy, but they went to the T-Car and began pursuing the beacon. The team remained silent as Cyborg followed the beacon’s location. Once they had entered the city proper, the beacon stopped.</p><p>“The tracker’s not moving anymore,” Cyborg said. “It’s in the middle of downtown. We’re almost there.”</p><p>“<em>Keep a sharp eye out </em>,” Robin said. In a short time, they stopped around the corner of where the beacon was stationed.</p><p>“BB, you feeling better?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“Still a bit dizzy, but I’m okay. What kind of metal was in that staff? Feels like I got hit by a wrecking ball.”</p><p>“Just morph into a fly and figure out what’s waiting around the corner,” Cyborg said. “We need to make sure he’s not setting a trap.”</p><p>“On it,” Beast Boy said. He morphed into a fly, and Cyborg rolled down the window enough for him to fly out and scan the area. When he rounded the corner, there was nothing out of the ordinary there. No car, no sign of Slade or Terra. What he did find, though, was the tracker Cyborg had launched, blinking on the ground. Beast Boy morphed back into a human. “He ditched the tracker,” he said.</p><p>“<em>Any nasty surprises waiting for us? </em>” Cyborg asked.</p><p>Beast Boy took a look around, but there was nothing else unusual or unordinary around. “Nope, I don’t see anything. No army of robot goons. No booby traps. Nothing.”</p><p>“<em>Hold on a sec, </em>” Cyborg said. He then came around the corner with Starfire and Raven to inspect the area himself. “My scanners aren’t picking up anything unusual. Beast Boy, you think you could sniff Terra out again?”</p><p>Beast Boy turned into a hound and sniffed around. “No, something’s wrong. I was able to pick up her scent from the school earlier, but now I’ve got nothing. How is that possible?”</p><p>“<em>I’m not sure </em> ,” Robin said. “ <em> I’m trying to think back to when I was his apprentice. Slade’s always had a lot of technology in his arsenal, and he would show it to me sometimes. Give me a minute. </em>”</p><p>“Sure thing,” Beast Boy said with a hint of frustration in his voice. The team looked around the area to see if there was anything they could find to help them track Slade. No obvious signs of tire tracks leading anywhere, no traces of anything for Cyborg to track. It’s like Slade had vanished completely.</p><p>“<em>I remember now, </em> ” Robin said. “ <em> He was working specifically on an odor neutralizer to specifically deal with Beast Boy’s heightened senses of smell. It was still a prototype when I was working for him, but it’s been a while since then, so he might have had a chance to perfect it. I don’t think you’ll be able to pick up her scent now. </em>”</p><p>Beast Boy snarled and punched the ground with his fist. “How are we supposed to track her now?” he asked.</p><p>Raven walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said. “There’s nothing we can do now but wait. Slade will strike again, probably soon, so all we can do now is prepare for his next move.”</p><p>“That’s not good enough,” Beast Boy said, brushing Raven’s hand away and sulking.</p><p>“<em>I’m sorry, Beast Boy, but Raven’s right. Slade’s obviously taken Terra for a reason, so she won’t be hidden for long. We need to regroup and figure out our next move. </em>”</p><p>“Then we need to get going,” Cyborg said. “Look, man, I know this sucks, but we’ll get her next time.”</p><p>“Slade’s robot told me that she didn’t want to remember her past,” Beast Boy said. “He said I had to let her go. And you know what? We listened to him. I stopped talking to Terra, we all moved on, and now look what happened. The second we gave up on her, he took advantage. He’s got her again, and we didn’t do enough to protect her.”</p><p>“Beast Boy…” Starfire said tentatively.</p><p>“No. This is my fault, our fault. We weren’t there for Terra, and now her life is in danger. I should’ve been able to convince her to come back. If I just tried a little harder, this wouldn’t have happened. We screwed up—I screwed up—and because of it, she’s in danger. She could die. It’s not right!” Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and vented his anger at the nearest light pole, ripping it from its post and throwing it down the road. He bellowed in anger.</p><p>“Come on, man,” Cyborg said. “We can’t afford to lose our cool now. We’ll get Terra back, it’s just going to take some time—”</p><p>Beast Boy turned towards Cyborg and charged towards him, bellowing. Suddenly, a purplish glow illuminated around Beast Boy’s eyes. He stopped charging, morphed back into his human form, and fell to the ground. The glow stopped, and Beast Boy was now asleep.</p><p>“What the—?” Cyborg asked. He then turned in time to see Raven lower her hand, a faint purple glow around it quickly vanishing. “What did you do?” he asked her.</p><p>“He’ll be okay,” Raven said. “I put him to sleep just along enough for us to go home.”</p><p>“Where was that move when we were fighting Slade earlier?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“Takes too long for me to summon this spell during a fight,” Raven said. “I started it when he went after that light pole. Took a full ten seconds for it to take effect.”</p><p>“You should work on that,” Cyborg said. “Anyway, let’s get going.”</p><p>Starfire gingerly lifted Beast Boy off the ground, and the team returned to the T-Car and drove back towards Titans Tower.</p><hr/><p>The team were in the sick bay when Beast Boy finally opened his eyes. He looked around, dazed and confused for a bit, until he realized where he was. “What happened?”</p><p>“Raven happened,” Robin said. “You were angry, which is understandable given our failure, but the best thing to do now is form a game plan. Are you feeling up to it?”</p><p>Beast Boy frowned. “I’m still mad, but sure. Let’s come up with a killer plan so we can get her back.”</p><p>“We’re not bringing her back to the team,” Robin said. “Terra has a life now, and a family who’s worried sick about her. Take a look.”</p><p>Beast Boy walked over to the laptop. Robin had a video screen up showing a group of three speaking to Jump City reporters. The older man and woman were unfamiliar to Beast Boy, but he recognized the girl.</p><p>“We are worried sick about losing Tara,” the woman said. “We may not be related by blood, but she has become a daughter to us, and a sister to our little girl Ashley. We don’t know who would want to take her, but what we want is this. Just bring her home, unharmed, and we won’t press charges. We don’t care who you are, we won’t go after you, as long as you bring our daughter back. Please, just bring her back.” The woman started crying, and she turned and placed her head on her husband’s chest. Her husband embraced her tightly, and Ashley walked over and joined the embrace. The older man turned to an approaching reporter.</p><p>“Sir, there are rumors that the girl Tara of whom you speak was approached a few months ago by a member of the Teen Titans. Our investigators are looking into it, and it may be possible that the girl you call Tara was actually a member of the team of adolescent crime fighters. Can you confirm any of these claims?”</p><p>“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the man said. “All I know is that our little girl is missing, and we’ll do whatever it takes to find her.”</p><p>“But sir, there are eyewitness reports who claim that the Teen Titans were in this neighborhood earlier tonight just as the kidnapping was occurring. Are you sure you cannot rule out the possibility that Tara is—”</p><p>“I already told you. I don’t know, and I don’t care about any of that. I just want my girl to come home.”</p><p>“Turn it off,” Beast Boy said, looking furious again. Robin stopped the video. “Are they actually trying to blame <em> us </em> for this?”</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Robin said, “but news reporters are the last thing I care about right now. We need to focus on finding Terra and bringing her back to her family.”</p><p>“And how are we to do that?” Starfire asked. “We have no way to trace where Slade has taken her. I fear the only thing we can do is wait to see what he does next, and respond accordingly.”</p><p>“So we’re supposed to just wait and let Slade hide her and do whatever he wants with her in the meantime? Come on, Robin, you know how messed up Slade is. We saw what happened when he had her last time. We can’t just sit here and let him do whatever Sladey stuff he wants to do. We have to find her now.”</p><p>“And how do you suppose we do that?” Cyborg asked. “Look, I get where you’re coming from, but Slade has made sure to leave absolutely no trace behind. You couldn’t sniff her out, and that was the only way we found out where she lived in the first place.”</p><p>“Come on, Jump City’s not that big. Slade’s hideout has to be around here somewhere. We can scope out the whole city, should be able to cover the area in a day or two tops. How’s that worse than sitting around and doing nothing?”</p><p>Robin was about to object, but suddenly an alarm started to blare. Robin logged in on the computer and was shocked at what he saw.</p><p>“Eight alerts just went up in the area,” he said.</p><p>“What?” Cyborg asked. He looked at the computer and counted the alerts on the screen. “Oh man, this has to be Slade. There’s no way eight psychos all decided to attack the city at the exact same time.”</p><p>“Hang on,” Robin said, typing into his computer and looking at each alert. “Overload, Cinderblock, Plasmus, Adonis, Mammoth, Gizmo, Billy Numerous, and Steamroller.”</p><p>“Should we call for backup?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“Not yet,” Robin replied. “Each of the four of you should take two threats. If you’re quick about it, you should be able to subdue the threats in a few hours, and you might be able to figure something out about Slade’s plans if you’re smart about it. I can coordinate from here.”</p><p>“Where shall we start?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Start with the four big threats. Cyborg, you should be able to take on Overload. Star, go after Cinderblock. Raven, Plasmus. That leaves Beast Boy to take on Steamroller. We’ll prioritize the other four based on time and location. In the meantime, I’ll keep an eye out. Knowing Slade, this is likely a distraction to keep us occupied while he does some work behind the scenes.”</p><p>“Come on, we’ve got no time to lose,” Cyborg said, running out of the sick bay. Raven followed him, and Beast Boy grunted and left begrudgingly. Starfire, for the moment, remained behind.</p><p>“You have to get moving,” Robin said.</p><p>“Yes, I am aware,” Starfire said, “but I fear for Beast Boy. Are you sure he is of sound enough mind for this mission?”</p><p>“He can take some of his anger out on these bad guys,” Robin said. “That always helps me when I’m angry. He’ll be fine.”</p><p>“I understand,” Starfire said. She turned to leave, but then stopped. She flew over to Robin, gave him a kiss on the forehead, and then flew out of the sick bay. Robin frowned, thinking about it for a minute, but then shook it off and pulled up security footage to see what the eight villains were doing. While keeping tabs on this, he continued scanning the rest of the city, knowing for sure that Slade would probably be working behind the scenes on the real threat.</p><hr/><p>When Tara finally regained consciousness, all she could see was darkness. Her hands were tied behind her back, her feet were bound together, and duct tape was over her mouth. She couldn’t hear anything except for a humming sound, but as her eyesight grew accustomed to the lack of light, she could tell that she was in a very large area. The floor beneath her was metallic, and she could feel it cold to the touch on the bottoms of her bare feet.</p><p>Her breathing became short and labored, as she was beginning to panic. She tried to remember what had happened prior to waking up in this position. She had been home, about to go to bed for the night, and then someone had knocked on her window. Then there had been...an explosion? And after that, nothing, at least until waking up here.</p><p>“You’re awake,” said a deep voice. Tara tried to speak out, but the tape over her mouth muffled her speech. Footsteps approached towards her, and she could see a man with body armor approach her. Only one eye was visible under his mask, and it was trained directly on her.</p><p>“I wasn’t sure when you would wake up,” he said, “so I had to gag you, but now I need to talk to you. Scream all you want, there is no one near enough to hear you.” With that said, the man ripped the duct tape off of her.</p><p>Tara’s entire lower face stung, and she screamed out in spite of herself, hoping that perhaps the man was wrong. Unfortunately, what he had said appeared to be accurate, as no one else came to investigate the sound. Tara stopped screaming and glared at her captor. “What do you want with me?”</p><p>“Either you do not remember your past, or you do not want to,” the man said, “but regardless, you must understand what you are. Tell me, little girl. Do you have any recollection of what you are, or are you really the amnesiac you claim to be?”</p><p>“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied.</p><p>“A pity. I had hoped that might not be the case, but this was the more probable scenario. You really remember nothing?”</p><p>“Guess not,” she said.</p><p>“Then it appears we’ll have to find a way to remind you the hard way.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>The man chuckled darkly, and Tara felt a chill down her spine at the sound of it. “You will find out soon enough. Rest now, child. There will be much work to do in the morning.”</p><p>Tara suddenly felt a prick in her neck, and before she knew what had happened, she fell unconscious.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Just to let you know, I am writing these chapters as I post them, so I'm not totally sure where this is going yet. However, it looks like the next chapter's going to have a lot of action, so that should be fun.</p><p>Again, if you like what you read, make sure to let me know. Even a kudos is enough to know you enjoyed what you read, and it only takes a second to leave one.</p><p>Hope to see you next week with the next chapter.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! I wasn't originally up to writing this chapter, but I told myself to just write ten words. Now, 3,500 words or so later, the new chapter is ready! Please leave a kudos and comment if you enjoy it. Thanks for reading.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Because the other three Titans could fly, Cyborg drove the T-Car towards the power plant that Overload was attacking. He was certain Slade had sent him there because the energy stored there made it the place where Overload was the biggest threat. Luckily, the team’s prior bouts with him taught them to attack him with water. Cyborg would probably have to bust open some pipes, but hopefully it would make quick work of the electric monster so that he could tackle the next threat.</p><p>“I’m pulling up to the power plant now,” Cyborg reported to Robin as he arrived. He could already see a hole in the wall where Overload likely had gained entry. Cyborg left the car and ran through the opening to figure out where Overload had gone.</p><p>There were fried components and parts that created a makeshift path that Cyborg could trace. It seemed Overload meant business, because based on the blueprints of the place that Cyborg had downloaded into his system, the monster seemed to have made a beeline for the place where heat was transformed into electricity. <em> I have a bad feeling about this </em>, Cyborg thought.</p><p>When he arrived, he saw the enormous amount of energy surging brightly that Overload had siphoned from the plant. <em> If I let that thing keep it up, he’ll short out the entire city. </em></p><p>“Yo, Light Show!” Cyborg called to get Overload to notice him. “I’m gonna make you blow a fuse!”</p><p><em> Not one of my better one liners </em>, Cyborg thought, but he had to quickly duck out of the way, because Overload had launched a bolt of lightning at him. Cyborg fired a sonic cannon blast at Overload, but there was no visible sign of damage. Overload hollered and started flying towards Cyborg.</p><p>Cyborg continued to launch sonic cannon blasts towards Overload as a means of goading him away from the source of electricity. Thankfully, so far, Overload had taken the bait. <em> Good, now I have to get him closer to these pipes. </em></p><p>Cyborg dodged out of the way of Overload’s lightning bolts. Overload grunted and then curled into himself. Cyborg was confused about what he was doing, but then he uncurled and released a pulsating blast. There was no way for Cyborg to avoid the attack. He was knocked into the wall and groaned in pain. He allowed himself a quick check of his readings. It seemed the blast had shorted out some of Cyborg’s power, to the point where his sonic cannon was ineffective for the time being.</p><p>“Looks like we’re doing this the hard way,” Cyborg said. Instead of attacking Overload directly again, Cyborg launched a grappling line from his shoulder to latch onto one of the water pipes above. Overload had now recovered, so he launched a lightning bolt towards the grappling line. The line was severed, and Cyborg slammed into another wall instead. This time, he was slower to get up.</p><p>Before he could steady himself, Overload launched another lightning bolt, and this time it hit home. Cyborg screamed as he could feel his systems start draining again. Once the electricity died down, Cyborg could barely move.</p><p><em> There’s gotta be a better way to fight this guy </em>, Cyborg thought. Overload had drained most of his systems, so Cyborg knew he’d have to think fast or his entire power source could be wiped out.</p><p>Overload trudged towards him, and the electronic systems he passed near erupted with the surges of electricity that he was emitting. Cyborg then came up with an idea. If he could position himself properly, he might be able to use Overload to recharge his systems instead of drain them. Cyborg took the time needed to calibrate himself correctly, and then he shouted at Overload again.</p><p>“Come on, dude, I’m a sitting duck! Finish me off!”</p><p>Overload let out an ungodly screech and sent a surge of electricity at Cyborg. Cyborg screamed again, but this time instead of his power cells draining, he felt a surge recharge his systems. After the attack, Cyborg collapsed to the ground. Overload let out another noise that almost sounded like a laugh and approached even closer to Cyborg.</p><p>“Joke’s on you, Overrated!” Cyborg yelled. He launched a sonic cannon blast up at the pipes above him. The piping collapsed, and water came streaming out of them. Before Overload could react, Cyborg launched himself into the air and landed on the pipe, then redirected the flow of water directly at Overload. The deluge of water cascaded over him, and he screamed as his circuitry surged out of control. Another blast of energy erupted and knocked Cyborg off his feet, but when he rose again, there was nothing left of Overload but the chip at its core. He was completely out of commission.</p><p>“Lights out,” Cyborg said, but then he shook his head. <em> I need to work on these one liners again. </em> He activated his communicator. “Overload’s down, Robin. Where do you need me?”</p><p>“<em>Mammoth’s at the museum,</em>” Robin said. “<em>You’re closest, so I need you to head over right away. </em>”</p><p>“Figure anything out about what Slade’s up to?”</p><p>“<em>No leads yet, but I’m still searching. </em>”</p><p>“No problem. Cyborg out.”</p><p>Cyborg grabbed Overload’s chip and left the power plant. The Jump City police department had arrived on scene. Cyborg turned the chip into police custody and then hustled to the T-Car and began driving towards the museum.</p><hr/><p>Starfire was flying through a construction site on the outskirts of town. Forklifts, cranes, and other vehicles were strewn about. There was a pile of steel girders next to the vehicles as well. No one was working at the site since it was nighttime. Starfire charged a starbolt in one hand to use as a light to try to find her foe. She heard Cinderblock’s grunting and stomping on the other side of a pile of rubble.</p><p>“I believe I have located the Cinderblock,” she said.</p><p>“<em>T</em><em>ry to subdue him quickly. You’ll be needed elsewhere.</em>” Robin said.</p><p>Starfire flew above the pile and saw Cinderblock. She launched a flurry of starbolts at him, which caused him to turn towards her. He roared, picked up a steel girder next to him, and threw it towards Starfire. Starfire shot lasers from her eyes to disintegrate the center of the girder, and the two remaining pieces flew safely by her on either side. However, Cinderblock had already followed the attack with a boulder, and that hit her and knocked her to the ground.</p><p>Starfire could feel and hear Cinderblock’s pounding feet as he stomped towards her. When he came into view, she shot starbolts at his feet. The impact caused him to stumble and fall forward. Starfire rolled out of the way to avoid being crushed, then straightened up to her feet and launched more starbolts at him.</p><p>The starbolts launched towards his chest seemed only to irritate Cinderblock, and he turned and flung his arm towards her. Starfire ducked under his arm and launched a starbolt at the area where his arm met his shoulder. This attack knocked him back a bit, and he seemed to grunt as if in pain.</p><p>Cinderblock roared again and slammed his foot into the ground. The shockwave knocked Starfire into the air, but she recovered and remained floating above ground. Cinderblock then grabbed the closest object near him, a construction truck, and hurled it towards Starfire. Starfire flipped out of the way of the vehicle, and it hit the ground with a loud crash. Starfire flew towards Cinderblock, launching starbolts to keep him off balance. She then grabbed his head and charged the starbolts in her hands as much as she could. Cinderblock groaned in pain, and while he was incapacitated, Starfire lifted him up into the air and threw him towards the wreck of the vehicle behind her.</p><p>Cinderblock hit the ground hard, and he was slow to get up. Realizing she had him on the ropes, Starfire didn’t let up. She threw more starbolts towards him and also launched a steady stream of eye beams to keep him pinned to the ground. After a while, Starfire felt her energy level drain, and she had to let up on the onslaught. Fortunately, it appeared Cinderblock was down for good this time.</p><p>Starfire took a few moments to catch her breath. She then dialed back into Robin.</p><p>“Cinderblock has been subdued,” she said. “Please direct me to—”</p><p>A loud roar interrupted, and Cinderblock slowly began to rise up. Thinking fast, Starfire flew out of the way and grabbed a nearby steel girder.</p><p>“<em>What’s happening? </em>” Robin asked, but Starfire had no time to reply. Instead, she used the energy from her starbolts to bend the girder in her hands, and she used her eye beams to keep Cinderblock from moving. She wrapped the steel girder around Cinderblock to keep him from moving his arms, then quickly flew back and lifted another girder.</p><p>Though her breathing was labored again, Starfire wasted no time in wrapping this girder around Cinderblock’s legs. The colossus tumbled to the ground, unable to move his legs to balance himself. Before he could react, Starfire wrapped more steel girders around him to keep him from rising again. Cinderblock roared in protest, and Starfire aimed another eye beam directly into his open mouth. Cinderblock roared in pain and collapsed.</p><p>“<em>What’s going on over there? Starfire? </em>” Robin asked.</p><p>“My apologies, Robin,” Starfire said, though she still needed time to catch her breath. “My initial declaration of victory was premature.”</p><p>“<em>You’ve definitely got him this time? </em>” Robin asked.</p><p>Starfire looked over at Cinderblock, who was not moving at all anymore.</p><p>“Yes, I believe now that the Cinderblock is down for good.”</p><p>“<em>Okay, that’s good. Unfortunately, my scanners show that the next threat is coming for you. Looks like Billy Numerous is sending a small army towards your location. </em>”</p><p>“An army of his clones?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“<em>Yes. ETA is about five minutes. Take some time to recover, but make sure you’re in a strategic position for him when he arrives. </em>”</p><p>“I understand,” Starfire said. “In the meanwhile, have you found any leads on Slade?”</p><p>“<em>I’ve been scanning the whole city. Nothing as of yet, but I’ll keep my eyes open. </em>”</p><p>“Affirmative,” Starfire said. She turned off the line of communication and looked around the area to plan for the onslaught of Billy Numerous clones coming her way.</p><hr/><p>Raven was flying through the industrial plant where Plasmus had been located. She kept her eyes and ears open, but there was no sign of the slimy colossus in sight.</p><p>“Are you sure this was where you last sighted Plasmus?” Raven asked Robin.</p><p>“<em>Positive. Make sure when you find him, you keep him from drinking any toxic waste. </em>”</p><p>“Yes, I’ll definitely be able to prevent that from happening when I can’t even see him.”</p><p>“<em>Trust me, he’s there. </em>”</p><p>Raven turned off the comm line, because now she could hear what sounded like a scuttling noise. She turned a corner, and she saw five crimson bug-like creatures crawling around. They turned towards her, and while she grabbed some nearby gears to use as a projectile, the five parts of Plasmus began rushing towards her.</p><p>She fended them off as best she could, but the attacks failed to slow the parts of Plasmus down. Soon, they were on her, and she threatened to be completely enveloped in the goo forming around her. Before she lost her ability to talk, she muttered the three words that would save her.</p><p>“Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos!” With that, a dark aura erupted from her and launched the goo of Plasmus away from her. Unfortunately, the smell of Plasmus lingered on her even after the blast. “Gross,” she muttered to herself.</p><p>The goo that she had launched away pooled together and formed into the giant form of Plasmus Raven was more used to. The green globules that served as his eyes looked at Raven, and he screeched loudly before running towards her. <em> This is fine, </em> Raven thought, <em> just keep him away from the sludge. </em></p><p>Raven flew out of the way as Plasmus launched goo towards her. She looked around her for something she could use to defend herself. There was a conveyor belt running to her right, so she used her powers to grab a segment of it for use as a battering ram. Plasmus launched out of one of his green orbs a blast of sludge. Raven used the conveyor belt to block it, but it started to melt. She launched the belt towards Plasmus, and he knocked it aside. It continued to melt as it fell to the ground.</p><p>“Uh...Robin?” Raven asked, dodging out of the way of Plasmus’s next attacks.</p><p>“<em>What’s wrong? </em>” Robin asked.</p><p>“Looks like Plasmus has upped his game. He’s shooting acid from those nasty green globs of his.”</p><p>“<em>How is…? Never mind, just take him out quickly. </em>”</p><p>“I’m trying,” Raven said. She enveloped herself in a black aura to shield herself from another blast of green acid from Plasmus. She then launched a beam of dark energy at him. He shrieked as the attack hit him, but then he maneuvered out of the way of the beam and launched his arm towards Raven. The goo hit her and brought her to the ground, but luckily it did not have the acidic properties of the green sludge.</p><p><em> I have to get him to start sleeping </em> , Raven thought to herself. <em> But how to wear him down? </em> Plasmus launched another stream of acidic green goo at Raven, but she grabbed it out of the air telekinetically and redirected the attack at Plasmus’s gaping mouth. As the acid entered his mouth, Plasmus began to choke. That gave Raven an idea.</p><p>She redirected her telekinesis to grab more items strewn about the plant and launched them into Plasmus’s open mouth. He was beginning to choke, and Raven realized she would have to be careful. Eventually, Plasmus would pass out as she suffocated him, but she didn’t want to go overboard and kill him. She focused her energy carefully, and eventually Plasmus collapsed to the ground. Immediately, she removed the materials she had used as a makeshift gag from him. Plasmus’s goo melted in on itself to reveal a sleeping man underneath. Thankfully, he was still breathing.</p><p>Raven felt a chill through her body after what she had decided to do, but she relaxed herself with a few calming breaths. She then carefully lifted the man from the floor to bring him outside of the plant.</p><p>“I’ve subdued Plasmus,” Raven said quietly to Robin through the comm link. “Where am I needed next?”</p><p>“<em>Take care of Gizmo. He’s launched an assault on Bay Bridge. You need to get there quickly, I’m hearing reports that he’s trapped commuters on it. If he destroys the bridge, it could kill hundreds. </em>”</p><p>“Understood,” Raven said. When she left the plant, authorities were there to take the sleeping man who would be Plasmus into custody. With him dropped off, Raven flew as fast as she could towards the bridge.</p><hr/><p>Beast Boy was looking around downtown. Unfortunately, there were some people out and about, apparently oblivious to the presence of a villain nearby who could literally roll over them without a problem.</p><p>“Uh...Robin? I can handle fighting Steamroller just fine, but there are people out here who could get hurt. Should I tell them to take a hike?”</p><p>“<em>Steamroller’s at the construction site where we fought that shapeshifting monster a while back. If you limit the fighting there, that should give people enough time to evacuate. </em>”</p><p>“Then I better get moving,” Beast Boy said. He turned off the comm link and made his way to the nearby construction site. Sure enough Steamroller was there, waiting for him.</p><p>“Dude, what are you doing here? Don’t you know you’re about to get creamed?” Beast Boy asked.</p><p>“Target sited,” Steamroller said. “Directive: destroy Beast Boy.”</p><p>“Didn’t know this guy could talk,” Beast Boy said. Steamroller came charging after him full force. Beast Boy morphed into a mammoth to try to use his tusks to block the attack. Unfortunately, Steamroller hit him with such a strong force that he was knocked into the air into some steel beams above. The weight of his mammoth form caused the beams to collapse, and a huge part of the construction site tumbled around them. Both Beast Boy and Steamroller were buried in the rubble.</p><p>The people outside the construction site ran screaming away from the downtown area. There was no movement at first from either Beast Boy or Steamroller from under the rubble. Robin looked into security camera footage near the site of Beast Boy’s fight and saw the collapse that happened. He called Beast Boy immediately, feeling a pit of dread in his stomach.</p><p>“Beast Boy, are you there? Beast Boy, come in! Do you read me?”</p><p>There was no response from Beast Boy. Frantic, Robin called into Cyborg.</p><p>“Cyborg, what’s your status?”</p><p>“<em>On my way to the museum to stop Mammoth. Why? </em>”</p><p>“You need to redirect downtown. Beast Boy and Steamroller caused a collapse at the construction site where we fought the white shapeshifter a few months ago. I tried calling him but didn’t get a response.”</p><p>“<em>Are you serious? </em>”</p><p>“I wish I wasn’t. Mammoth can wait, you need to figure out what happened and make sure Beast Boy’s okay.”</p><p>“<em>What about Star and Raven? Can they redirect as well? </em>”</p><p>“Star’s occupied with Billy Numerous at the moment and Raven’s needed at the Bay Bridge to avert a disaster. You’re the only one currently free who can help him.”</p><p>“<em>Not a problem. I’m on my way. </em>”</p><p>“Thanks, Cyborg. Report in the second you have an update.”</p><p>“<em>Will do. </em>”</p><p>Robin turned off the comm line. He had not been able to find any sign of Slade anywhere, but with the current threats at the forefront, he knew he would have to pay more attention to the action at hand. Robin grimaced, realizing that this was probably what Slade had wanted in the first place. At this point, it didn’t matter. It was far more important to make sure his friends were okay. He wished he was able to join the action directly, but with his broken ribs keeping him sidelined, so all he could do was watch and wait.</p><hr/><p>Tara slowly awoke. She realized that she was no longer tied up or gagged, but it was so dark in the room she was in that she was having trouble seeing her surroundings. A voice from behind her caught her off guard.</p><p>“You’re finally awake,” said the man. She recognized the voice as belonging to her captor immediately. “Good. I calculated the formula correctly.”</p><p>Tara tried to run, but as she rose to her feet, her legs gave out from beneath her and she collapsed onto the floor. She made an attempt to scream, but somehow the sound of it caught in her throat.</p><p>“What did you do to me?” she said as loud as she could, but it was merely a whisper.</p><p>“When I sedated you earlier, I used more than just a tranquilizing agent,” the man said. “The technology in that injection is quite advanced in nature, but to spare you the boring details, I’ll explain in layman’s terms. I have the ability to trigger with the push of a button little creatures in your blood that will prevent you from fleeing or crying out for help. I’ll demonstrate.”</p><p>Tara could now see that the man was holding a device with a button on top. He pressed the switch, and she felt a weight lift from her. She screamed and tried to run, but with another press of the button, she lost her balance as the weight returned, and she collapsed on the floor again.</p><p>“As you can see, escape will be quite impossible,” the man said. “And even if you could scream for help, there is no one nearby to hear you.”</p><p>“Who...what are you?” Tara asked.</p><p>“I am Slade. Normally, I would prefer you call me ‘Master,’ but I am feeling more generous than normal. I have a mission for you, little girl. It will involve much effort and training, but I will be grooming you to become my second-in-command.”</p><p>“What are you talking about?” Tara was panting from the weight of whatever Slade had injected into her blood.</p><p>“Whether you forgot or want to forget,” Slade replied, “is merely a matter of semantics. Little girl, you have a power buried deep within you that until now you have refused to tap. We will be working to awaken that power again. This is why I have the switch. I need you in fighting form while we’re training, but make any attempt to escape, and a press of the button will prevent that from happening. To give you time to adjust to your new situation, we will rest until tomorrow morning.”</p><p>“You won’t get away with this,” Tara said. “The Titans know about me. They’ll be back.”</p><p>“Will they? Where were they when I acquired you from your home?”</p><p>Tara tried to remember. She had no idea how long ago it was, but one thing was sure. She did not remember seeing Beast Boy or any of the others come to her aid.</p><p>“Try to get a good night’s sleep,” Slade said. As he walked away, the gravity of the situation began to dawn on her. She wept until falling asleep on the cold, hard floor.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Will Beast Boy be saved? Will Tara be able to escape her captor? Find out next time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello. The next chapter is ready. It ended up being a little long, because originally there was some content I wasn't going to include, but then I decided to add it anyway. Hope you enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cyborg couldn’t keep himself from worrying about what had happened to Beast Boy. He sped down the road as fast as he could so that he could get to the site of the accident and make sure his best friend was okay. He had to believe that he would be able to help Beast Boy, because the alternative was unthinkable.</p><p>When he arrived at the construction site across from the team’s favorite pizza joint, he was shocked by what he saw. Clouds of dust hung in the air, and everyone who had been in the area had already cleared out. Cyborg pressed a button on his dashboard, and the car’s roof retracted to reveal a large fan. It began blowing at a high rate in order to help clear the dust clouds and make it easier to see. While he waited for the fan to do its job, Cyborg radioed in to Robin.</p><p>“I’m at the scene,” he said. “There’s tons of dust obscuring my vision, so once I clear it out I’ll start digging.”</p><p>“<em>Run a preliminary scan to see if you can get Beast Boy’s vitals.</em>” Robin said.</p><p>“Good idea, man. I’m on it.” Cyborg pressed a button on his arm this time, and his computer system scanned the area for any signs of life. He was able to identify two sets of vitals within the rubble, most likely belonging to Steamroller and Beast Boy. Both of them had pulses, but they were thready at best. “Beast Boy’s hanging in there, but I need to get him out now.”</p><p>“<em>Go ahead, but be careful. You don’t want to bring anything else down while you’re digging him out. </em>”</p><p>“I got this,” Cyborg said. The T-Car’s fan had done enough of a job clearing the dust clouds. Cyborg left the car and started hurling steel girders and other parts of the rubble out of the way to dig out his friend. The first body he recognized belonged to Steamroller, whose body was so crushed and mangled that he wouldn’t pose any kind of threat anytime soon. Seeing how badly Steamroller was injured made Cyborg even more nervous, and he started digging even more fervently to try to get Beast Boy out.</p><p>As he dug, he finally noticed something. In a pocket deep within the piles of rubble was the body of a green mouse. Somehow, and he wasn’t sure how, Beast Boy had managed to morph himself into a small creature and find a part of the pile of rubble that had not collapsed on top of him. Still, Beast Boy’s mouse body was not moving. Cyborg gingerly lifted the mouse and placed him on his open palm, then cleared away from the construction site and back to the T-Car. Shortly afterwards, the portion of the damaged site collapsed. Cyborg shivered as he realized that Beast Boy had been seconds away from being surely crushed.</p><p>“Come on, man, wake up,” Cyborg said. He did another scan to make sure Beast Boy’s vitals were okay. His pulse was still thready, but his heartbeat was racing. Cyborg almost panicked, but then he recalled that the heartbeat of a mouse was about ten times faster than that of a human.</p><p>“Beast Boy, can you hear me?” he asked. There wasn’t much Cyborg could do to try to wake him, because the mouse’s body was too small for his hand. Cyborg decided instead to give his friend a small shock to see if it would wake him up. From his right pointer finger emerged a tiny taser, which would hopefully produce a volt strong enough to awaken Beast Boy without overloading his system with too much voltage. Gently, he prodded Beast Boy’s body and gave him a tiny jolt. To his enormous relief, Beast Boy’s eyes opened.</p><p>Beast Boy looked around the area, then up at Cyborg. He squeaked for a bit, then motioned for Cyborg to place him on the ground. Once Cyborg did, Beast Boy morphed back to his human form.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Cyborg asked. “You caused a hell of a mess here.”</p><p>Beast Boy was panting and lying on the ground. Now that his form was larger, Cyborg could see that he had inflicted some serious damage from the accident. The parts of his skin that were visible were covered in bruises, and it didn’t appear that Beast Boy would be able to walk on his own.</p><p>“What happened to me?” Beast Boy asked. “I hurt all over and I don’t think I can walk.”</p><p>“Hang on, man. I can do an X-ray here and figure out what happened to you.” Cyborg pressed a button on his arm, and a flash of radiation trailed up and down Beast Boy’s body. While Cyborg scanned, he radioed back in to Robin again. “I got BB out, but it looks like you two might have to be roommates for a while. I’m running an X-ray to see what happened. Once I understand his injuries, I’ll find the quickest and safest way to get him home.”</p><p>“<em>Looks like you’re handling things well over there. I assume Steamroller’s out of commission? </em>”</p><p>“Yeah, looks like he took the brunt of the damage. He won’t be a problem.”</p><p>“<em>Okay. I need to check in to see how Star and Raven are faring. Once you get Beast Boy back here, you’ll have to go after Mammoth and Adonis yourself. </em>”</p><p>“Understood,” Cyborg said. He then redirected his attention to Beast Boy. The X-ray scan completed, and Cyborg had on his display the diagnostic results. Beast Boy had fractured both of his legs, which explained why he wasn’t able to walk, but otherwise his injuries were not overly extensive.</p><p>“You’re lucky Steamroller took the worst of the damage,” he said to Beast Boy. “You’re not going to be able to walk for a few months, but that seems to be the worst of it.”</p><p>“Dude, you’re forgetting something. I can turn into a salamander and heal my limbs way faster than that. I’ll be back to my old self in a week.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, right. I completely forgot about that. That’s good news, because we can’t afford to have two Titans out of commission.”</p><p>“You’ve gotta promise me something,” Beast Boy said. “Promise me you’ll find out what happened to Terra. We need to get her back before Slade gets the chance to hurt her.”</p><p>“I’ll make sure we make it our top priority,” Cyborg replied. “Come on, we’ve gotta get you back to the tower.”</p><p>Beast Boy nodded and turned into a salamander. Cyborg lifted him up gingerly and placed him in the T-Car, then got into the car himself. He made a beeline back for the tower, and was able to return in a few minutes. After arriving, he brought Beast Boy in and up to the sick bay where Robin was monitoring Raven and Starfire.</p><p>“How are the girls doing?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“They’re holding their own,” Robin said. “How’s Beast Boy?”</p><p>“Broke his legs, but he says he can recover in a week if he remains in this salamander form. Until then, he’s your roommate.”</p><p>“Glad to hear it wasn’t worse,” Robin said with a smile. Cyborg placed Beast Boy on the bed next to Robin’s.</p><p>“So which brute is causing the most trouble?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“Adonis is at the stadium, Mammoth’s at the museum,” Robin said. “We don’t have any civilians in harm’s way in either area, but the museum’s contents are more valuable. Take out Mammoth first.”</p><p>“On it. It won’t take me long to take out these meatheads. I’ll fill you in with any new developments.” With that, Cyborg left the sick bay.</p><p>He went back over to the T-Car and took off again, this time making a beeline for the museum. On the way, he allowed his mind to wander freely. He was concerned, first and foremost, for Beast Boy’s health. However, he realized that Beast Boy would be able to recover from his injuries more quickly than Robin could. Cyborg would one day study his best friend to get a full grasp of how his powers worked, but that would have to wait. There was a mammoth-sized problem he had to take care of at the museum first.</p><p>When he arrived at the museum, he could see there was a major issue. There was a giant hole where the doors were supposed to be, so it was clear that Mammoth had broken in. Whatever thousands of dollars he’d already done in damage didn’t matter now. The only thing important was to take him out.</p><p>Cyborg ran into the museum and started looking for signs of where Mammoth had gone. He was able to track Mammoth’s movements by the trail of destruction he had left in his wake. Cyborg finally found Mammoth in the area with a large exhibit of dinosaur skeletons.</p><p>“Haven’t you ever heard of ‘look, don’t touch?’” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“Whatever,” Mammoth said. “I’ve been waiting all night for a hero to kick around. I’m glad it’s you.”</p><p>“You won’t be glad about that for long,” Cyborg said. He ran towards Mammoth, and Mammoth came towards Cyborg as well. They met in the middle, and Cyborg landed a punch square at Mammoth’s face. Cyborg let out a barrage of attacks and knocked Mammoth into the skeleton of a pterodactyl hanging from the high ceiling. Mammoth collapsed on the ground with the bones of the pterodactyl piled on top of him.</p><p>Cyborg ran over to pull Mammoth out of the rubble, but Mammoth emerged from the bones and launched them in all directions. Cyborg held his arm in front of his face to avoid getting dust in his human eye, but then suddenly Mammoth was on him, beating at Cyborg in turn. He then slammed his foot into the ground, and the shockwave launched Cyborg into the air. Cyborg was able to recover and land on his feet.</p><p>“I always was stronger than you,” Mammoth taunted. “The archives at the HIVE academy proved that.”</p><p>“That’s because I was holding back!” Cyborg shouted. He armed his sonic cannon and fired it at Mammoth. Mammoth took the attack square in the chest and collided into the skeleton of a T-rex. Mammoth recovered and threw the skull of the T-rex at Cyborg. Cyborg ducked out of the way, and the skull hit the leg of a brontosaurus skeleton instead, sending it crumbling to the ground.</p><p>“Looks like I’m not the only one damaging valuable exhibits,” Mammoth said.</p><p>“Then let’s take this outside,” Cyborg said. He charged at Mammoth, grabbed him, and launched through the roof of the museum with the rockets in his boots. Once he was high enough in the air, he spun and hurled Mammoth at the ground outside. Mammoth hit the ground hard, and the sheer weight of him sent a shockwave that sent dirt flying in the air around him. Cyborg then landed on top of Mammoth and punched him in the face over and over again until he was knocked unconscious.</p><p>Just as the fight was ending, a squadron of police arrived. They came over to Cyborg.</p><p>“You subdued Mammoth, correct?” one of them asked.</p><p>“What does it look like to you?” Cyborg responded smugly. Mammoth was still knocked out cold.</p><p>“We’ll take him into custody. Thank you for taking care of him for us.”</p><p>“No problem,” Cyborg said. “Also, make sure he is held liable for all of the museum’s damage.”</p><p>“Of course,” the officer said.</p><p>As police struggled to lift Mammoth off the ground, Cyborg radioed in to Robin.</p><p>“Mammoth is subdued,” he said. “Am I needed elsewhere?”</p><p>“<em>You can come home </em> ,” Robin said. “<em>Good work. </em>”</p><p>“Thanks,” Cyborg said. “I’ll be back in a few.”</p><hr/><p>Raven had arrived at the Bay Bridge, where Gizmo was flying around. It looked like he was setting charges to detonate the bridge and bring hundreds of civilians down with it, but once Raven had arrived, Gizmo’s attention had been on her.</p><p>Raven ducked out of the way of a barrage of missiles, but they turned around in midair and caem at her again.</p><p>“Heatseekers, you cakesniffer!” Gizmo yelled with a laugh.</p><p>Raven smirked and enveloped the missiles in a dark aura and sent them down into the water, where they exploded without causing any damage.</p><p>“Crud,” Gizmo said. He then opened fire with a machine gun strapped to his back.</p><p>Raven flew out of the way, then circled back around and under until she was beneath Gizmo. She rammed him into the air and then sent a flurry of dark energy blasts at him. He tumbled around after contact but then steadied his wings and flew back towards Raven.</p><p>Raven latched onto his wings with telekinesis and attempted to rip them off of his back so that he wouldn’t be able to fly anymore. However, the connection she had to the wings died. “What?” Raven asked.</p><p>“I modified these babies to ward off your stupid telekinetic powers,” Gizmo said. “Next time do your crudmunching homework!”</p><p>Raven then used telekinesis to lift a streetlamp off the side of the road. She swung it at Gizmo, who ducked out of the way, but then Raven took another swing and damaged one of his wings. Gizmo started flying around erratically, because he was no longer able to properly balance his flight pattern.</p><p>He retracted his wings and landed on the ground. Realizing he would not be able to fly, he sent another set of missiles flying towards Raven. Raven ducked out of the way and then flew directly towards Gizmo. She landed behind him and lifted him off of the ground under her own power.</p><p>“Crud!” Gizmo screamed as the heat seeking missiles aimed towards him. He pressed a button on a remote controller to deactivate the missiles before they could hit him. Thinking fast, Raven yanked the controller out of his hands.</p><p>“What the heck do you think you’re doing with that? Give it back!”</p><p>Raven used telekinesis to lift a portion of the bridge that Gizmo was standing on out from under him. He flew up into the air. Raven then flew up, yanked him out of the air, and carried him over to where one of the charges had been placed on the bridge.</p><p>“These charges are set on a timer, right?” Raven asked Gizmo.</p><p>“You don’t know what you’re talking about, doofus. There’s a button on my remote that’s set to detonate these puppies only when I’m good and ready.”</p><p>“Well, I’m not letting you go until you press whatever button deactivates these charges safely.”</p><p>“Wanna bet?” With that, Gizmo revealed another machine gun strapped to his back. Thinking fast, Raven lifted Gizmo up so that the gun was pointing at one of the charges.</p><p>“I wouldn’t be so quick on the trigger if I were you,” Raven warned him.</p><p>“Fine, fine, I’ll deactivate the stupid charges,” Gizmo said. He pressed a button on the remote, and the charges, which had been blinking, powered down and unlatched themselves from the bridge. “I wasn’t planning on blowing this stinking bridge up in the first place.”</p><p>“What is that supposed to mean?” Raven asked Gizmo.</p><p>“Wouldn’t you like to know, mud cruncher?”</p><p>“Forget it, I don’t have time for this,” Raven said. She flew away from the bridge, with Gizmo still in tow, and called into Robin. “Robin, Gizmo’s out of commission. How are the others doing?”</p><p>“<em>Cyborg had to divert to bring Beast Boy home, but he’s going after Mammoth. Take Gizmo into custody and head to the football stadium to deal with Adonis. </em>”</p><p>“How’s Starfire holding up?”</p><p>“<em>She was fine the last time I checked. Adonis is first priority, since no one’s dealing with him at the moment. </em>”</p><p>“Understood,” Raven said. She hung up and flew Gizmo over to the police that had arrived on scene.</p><p>“The charges on the bridge are deactivated,” Raven said to them. “Make sure this vermin doesn’t escape.” She handed over Gizmo and flew off to head for the football stadium.</p><p>When Raven arrived, she was shocked to see the mess Adonis had made at the stadium. Seats had been toppled, the turf had been ripped up, and one of the goal posts had been completely upended.</p><p>Adonis was standing at midfield, and as Raven approached, he turned to see her. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” he asked.</p><p>“I don’t know what you think you’re doing here,” Raven said, “but I promise you it will not end well.”</p><p>“Bring it. I ain’t afraid of hitting a girl.”</p><p>“You will be,” Raven said. Adonis charged towards you, but Raven latched onto one of his legs telekinetically. He lost his footing and fell over, and then Raven dragged him across the ground and launched him at the upended goal post. Adonis hit it, and the sound echoed across the stadium.</p><p>“You’ve got some fight in you,” Adonis said, “but let’s see you handle this!” He lifted the goal post off of the ground and started swinging it at Raven. She protected herself with a dark aura, but Adonis pounded at her shield again and again until it broke under the pressure. Raven then took a swing from the post and was launched across the field, landing hard on the turf.</p><p>She struggled to catch her breath, as the wind had been knocked out of her, but she recovered just in time to roll out of the way as Adonis had jumped and tried to land on her. Before he could attack again, Raven deflected it with another aura shield. Thinking fast, she upended the turf beneath Adonis’s feet and launched him upwards. He flipped and landed on his feet and charged at Raven.</p><p>“Enough of this,” Raven said. She suddenly rose from the ground, seeming to grow taller as she did, and dark tentacles latched onto Adonis and dragged him closer to her. He was unable to break free of her grasp, and as Raven dragged him closer, he started to yelp in fright. Once he was under her blue cloak and enveloped in complete darkness, he started screaming. “Okay! Okay! I surrender!”</p><p>“Promise?” Raven asked, her voice echoing loudly across the stadium.</p><p>“Yes, I promise. Please!”</p><p>Raven drew back into herself and released Adonis from her grasp. His face was pale and sweaty, and he was struggling to catch his breath.</p><p>“What is wrong with you?” he asked her.</p><p>“Nothing,” Raven said. “A girl has to be able to defend herself when brutes like you come to call.”</p><p>“You call that self-defense?” Adonis asked. “You’re a real creep.”</p><p>Raven smirked, but gave no verbal response. She waited alongside Adonis until the police arrived. Adonis, still shaking, gladly gave himself up.</p><p>“Robin, I’ve taken care of the situation at the stadium. Am I needed elsewhere?”</p><p>“<em>You can come home now. Good work. </em>”</p><p>“Thanks,” Raven said, flying away to return back to the tower.</p><hr/><p>Billy Numerous had arrived at the construction site shortly after Starfire had disposed of Cinderblock. She had tried to take him out quickly, but Billy had made fifty clones of himself. Starfire had taken refuge on top of a large pile of rubble, and with that high ground she had managed to keep the clones at bay. It was as if they were playing king of the hill, with Starfire atop the hill, and dozens of Billy clones trying to bring her down. She’d been able to hold off the clones for a while, but they had not relented for good yet, and Starfire was starting to get tired.</p><p>“<em>Starfire, how are things going out there? </em>”</p><p>“I am okay, but I am not sure how much longer I can hold off these clones.”</p><p>“<em>I’m sorry, Star, but I can’t send backup. Beast Boy’s injured, and Cyborg and Raven are going after Mammoth and Adonis. </em>”</p><p>Starfire continued to fire starbolts at the numerous clones that were climbing up the rubble towards her.</p><p>“Robin, I am most concerned,” she said. “We believe that Slade is the mastermind behind all of these attacks tonight, yes?”</p><p>“<em>I’m almost certain of it. </em>”</p><p>“Clearly, he has sent the most serious threat in my direction. And I also find it odd that all of the other villains waited for us to come to them, but Billy Numerous is the only one to come after one of us. I believe Slade is deliberately targeting me.”</p><p>Robin realized that Starfire had a point, and now that he was thinking about it, he started to put two and two together.</p><p>“<em>I think Slade is going after you as a means to get to me. We can’t play into his hands like this. You need to get out of there now. </em>”</p><p>Starfire finally stopped holding off Billy Numerous with starbolts. Instead, she bent downward and started to glow. She continued to stay like this as the many Billy Numerous clones began to pile up on top of her. Once she could no longer take the weight, she unleashed a huge burst of energy. All of the Numerous clones retracted into the original after this huge attack, and Billy Numerous was down for the count. Unfortunately, the large expanse of energy caused Starfire to collapse and fall off the rubble pile she had been on.</p><p>“<em>Starfire? </em> ” Robin asked, but she did not respond. “<em>Starfire, what happened? Starfire! </em>”</p><p>Robin continued to call after her, and after a heartstopping minute that felt like an eternity, she finally responded.</p><p>“I have subdued the clones,” Starfire said, “but I expended too much energy in the process. I need some time to recover before I return to the tower.”</p><p>“<em>Can you find a place to hide out in the meantime? </em>” Robin asked.</p><p>“I dare not move at the moment,” Starfire said.</p><p>“<em>It’s okay </em> ,” Robin said. “<em>There are police arriving on scene. </em>”</p><p>Starfire glanced over to see that police had indeed arrived to arrest Billy Numerous. One officer went over to where Starfire was laying.</p><p>“Are you alright, miss?” he asked.</p><p>“I will be okay,” she responded.</p><p>“Do you need a lift? We can bring you back to the tower.”</p><p>“There is no need. I will fly there myself once I have had a chance to recover.”</p><p>“Don’t be silly. It’s no trouble for us to bring you home.”</p><p>“<em>Starfire, what’s happening? </em>” Robin asked.</p><p>“This officer is insisting to give me a ride back to the tower.”</p><p>“Who are you talking to?” the officer asked.</p><p>“My teammate, Robin,” Starfire said. “He insists on bringing me back to the tower himself. Please, just bring Billy Numerous to jail. I will be fine.”</p><p>The officer continued to stare at her for a moment, but then relented. “Suit yourself,” he said. He went back over to join the other officers, who were busy detaining Billy Numerous. No other officers came to talk to Starfire, and by the time they had left with Billy Numerous in their custody, Starfire was feeling well enough to fly on her own.</p><p>“Robin, I have recovered as expected, and I am able to fly again,” Starfire said. “Am I needed elsewhere?”</p><p>“<em>I think it would be better if you came home now </em> ,” Robin said. “<em>Cyborg and Raven have taken care of Mammoth and Adonis. Looks like the night is finally over. </em>”</p><p>“Then I shall return to the tower shortly.”</p><p>“<em>Sounds good. </em>”</p><p>Starfire began flying home, and she intercepted with Raven on the way.</p><p>“You okay?” Raven asked Starfire. “You look a bit pale.”</p><p>“I had to resort to extreme measures to subdue Billy Numerous,” Starfire said. “I will be fine. I just need some time to rest. How did you fare against Adonis?”</p><p>“I think he’s going to need some counseling,” Raven said, “but other than that, he’ll be fine.”</p><p>Starfire giggled, and Raven allowed herself a smirk. The two of them arrived at the tower shortly afterward and saw that Cyborg had already returned with the T-Car. They went back into the sick bay, where they saw Robin at his laptop and Cyborg looking over Beast Boy, who was in the form of a salamander.</p><p>“Good work, team,” Robin said. “I’ve been monitoring things across the city all night. I wasn’t able to find anything unusual going on, which honestly makes me more nervous.”</p><p>“No sign of Terra?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“Not that I could find. I could have sworn Slade would take the opportunity to steal some Zynothium, power cells, anything to help him, but from what I can tell, he’s done nothing.”</p><p>“We know he’s got Terra,” Raven said. “Maybe he didn’t need anything dangerous like Zynothium. Maybe he just needed boulders and rocks.”</p><p>“That’s a great point,” Robin said. “Unfortunately, there’s so much construction going on, that it’s going to be difficult to pinpoint what’s normal activity and what’s something more suspicious.”</p><p>“So we are back to the square one, then?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“I said it would be difficult to figure it out, but I didn’t say impossible,” Robin replied. “I’m going to go over the security footage to see if I can find any unusual transportation of rocks and boulders.” Robin was about to go back on his laptop to do just that, but he let out a yawn.</p><p>“This has been a busy day,” Cyborg said, “and you’re recovering from a serious injury. I think we need to get some shut-eye and look into this tomorrow. I know my batteries need to recharge.”</p><p>“I concur with Cyborg,” Starfire said, letting out a yawn herself. “I am positive we will be able to find a lead after getting the thirty winks.”</p><p>“Forty winks,” Robin replied with a smile.</p><p>Starfire giggled. “Yes, my mistake.”</p><p>“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Cyborg said. “I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.” With that, he left the sick bay.</p><p>“Goodnight,” Raven said, following Cyborg out the door.</p><p>Robin looked over at Starfire, who had not made to leave. “Where are you sleeping?” he asked.</p><p>“By your side, if that is okay,” Starfire said.</p><p>“Of course,” Robin said with a smile. “Just remember that Salamander Boy is also in here.”</p><p>“Hey,” Beast Boy said, turning his salamander head briefly to his human head in order to talk. “Keep things PG over there, at least for a week until I’m fully recovered.” He morphed his head back to salamander form and shut his eyes.</p><p>Starfire and Robin giggled, and she carefully crawled into bed next to Robin. “Pleasant dreams,” she said before shutting her eyes.</p><p>Robin smiled and rested his head on Starfire’s shoulder before falling to sleep himself.</p><hr/><p>Slade was monitoring activity on his computer. Behind him, Terra was still curled up on the floor, passed out. It appeared that last night, the Titans had succeeded in subduing all eight of the villains he had sent out. That was not the outcome he had wanted from all that effort. Part of him was disappointed, but another part of him had already realized this could have happened. Now that the sun was starting to rise, it was time to regroup and move ahead with Plan B.</p><p>Around the factory where he was hiding were giant piles of boulders, rocks, and other such rubble. While the Titans had been preoccupied with their fighting, he had been able to go out and gather all of these earthy materials without arousing suspicion. Now that he had gathered all of this material, it was time to move ahead with the next phase of the plan.</p><p>He walked over to Terra’s sleeping form and shook her awake.</p><p>“What’s going on?” she asked groggily as she awoke.</p><p>“I know your recollection has been...unreliable,” Slade said, “but it is time to make you remember who you are.”</p><p>“I don’t understand what you mean,” Terra responded.</p><p>“I mentioned already that I would be grooming you to be my accomplice,” Slade said, “but I have so far neglected to explain what that entails. Now, I am ready to show you what I mean. Do you notice anything different?”</p><p>Terra looked around and saw immediately what Slade was talking about. There were piles of rocks, boulders, and dirt everywhere that had not been there when she was last conscious.</p><p>“You see girl, you have the ability to move the earth. Your name is <em> Terra </em> , the Latin word for <em> earth </em>, and soon you will come to understand what that means, whether you want to or not.”</p><p>“My name is <em>Tara</em>, not <em>Terra</em>,” she said. Slade slapped her across the face, and she collapsed to the ground in anguish and shock.</p><p>“You’ve given yourself the name of <em> Tara </em>, but I promise you, girl, I will make you remember who you truly are. Give me any lip, and I will not hesitate to hurt you again.”</p><p>Terra bit back tears and glared at Slade in anger. “So what do you want me to do?”</p><p>“Rise, Terra,” Slade said, “and we will begin our training.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I recognize that the last few chapters have been mostly action oriented. I think now the story's at a point where I can take a bit of a breather and develop the relationships a little more. You'll have to wait and see until the next chapter to see how that goes. For now, I hope you enjoyed what you read. Leave a kudos and a comment if you haven't done so already, and thank you for reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi. New chapter's up. I ended up introducing a character that I wasn't expecting to use until now, but I think it's going to take the story in an interesting direction. I also included a bit more downtime for the heroes as I said at the end of last chapter. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tara struggled to her feet, feeling weak because of the things in her blood that Slade had mentioned. He was glaring at her with his one eye, his face otherwise unreadable through his mask. He pressed a button on the switch, and Tara felt the weakness in her body disappear. There was no point in trying to escape now, as Slade had made clear after he’d kidnapped her. However, this “earth-moving” power that he’d told her about did not ring any bells. How would she be able to demonstrate powers that she couldn’t remember?</p><p>It was too late for questions, as Slade lifted an enormous boulder and hurled it in her direction. She was just barely able to lunge out of the way, and the boulder landed with a thunderous echo on the floor.</p><p>“A pity,” Slade said. “I was hoping instinct would kick in, but it seems that coaxing your powers out of you will take a more nuanced approach.”</p><p>“I have no idea what you want me to do,” Tara said.</p><p>Without response, Slade grabbed a smaller boulder and threw it towards Tara again. She dodged out of the way again, but it hit her in the shoulder. Pain shot through her entire arm and she fell to the ground.</p><p>“You’ll have to do better than that, child,” Slade said. “Unfortunately for you, it seems that reminding you of your powers is going to take some work. I anticipated that this might be the case and have prepared accordingly.” Instead of tossing more boulders at Tara, Slade pressed the button on the switch, and Tara’s movement was inhibited once again. He then walked towards the computer at the far end of the room and beckoned Tara to follow him.</p><p>“What are we doing now?” she asked.</p><p>“During your slumber, I prepared a highlight reel to show you what you are capable of. You do not remember this, but you once worked for me to infiltrate and take down the Teen Titans. Obviously, this effort was unsuccessful, but I was able to record footage with a hidden camera built into the suit I designed for you. I meant for it to be a tool for me to study your powers and to keep an eye on you, but now I think it can serve another purpose: to remind you of what you are capable of doing.”</p><p>Slade opened a video file on the computer and offered for Tara to sit down. Reluctantly, she took the seat and began to watch.</p><p>If she had not been able to hear her own voice in the recording, she wouldn’t have believed it was her. Footage of her lifting enormous boulders and rocks and hurling them at the Teen Titans played out before her very eyes. Not only was she able to throw giant amounts of rock and stone, she was also able to ride them high in the air, create swirling sandstorms around her, and drown other people in mud. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped at the things she had been capable of, and by the time the video ended, tears were starting to form in her eyes.</p><p>“Do you see now what you are capable of?” Slade asked her. “Do you now understand why I was so intent on finding you? Your powers are something special, child, and I want you to use them to bring down the Teen Titans once and for all.”</p><p>“Why, though? Why would I ever want to help you?”</p><p>“You bring up a good point,” Slade replied. “Luckily, those same organisms I implanted in your bloodstream to keep you from escaping serve another purpose. I can easily reconfigure them to kill you outright if you dare to defy my orders. To stay alive, you have no choice but to help me. Besides, you might find that you like relearning your powers. When I first met you, you were so desperate to control your powers that you were willing to do anything, even betray the heroes you once called your friends. I am giving you a second chance to feel that power again. You may not like it now, but soon, you’ll know once again what that power feels like. Once that happens, I predict that you’ll never want to go back to your mundane life ever again. Now, would you like to start your training again?”</p><p>Tara was not at all comfortable with this proposal, but Slade had made it clear to her that she had no choice in the matter. All she could do was nod her head in reply.</p><p>“Good choice,” Slade said. “We shall get back into position and start again.”</p><hr/><p>After a well-deserved night of sleep, Starfire awoke at the break of dawn. She was sore from her efforts against Cinderblock and Billy Numerous the night before, but happy that she was able to awaken at Robin’s side. His snoring indicated to her that he was still sound asleep. She considered waking him up, but then realized that he needed his rest to be able to heal from his rib injuries faster. She looked over at Beast Boy in the other bed. He was obviously asleep as well, usually the one to sleep in the longest. He was still in his salamander form.</p><p>Starfire rose to her feet gently so as not to disturb Robin and made her way towards the living room to fix herself some breakfast. When she arrived, she saw that Raven and Cyborg were already awake. Raven was sipping tea from a mug, and Cyborg was cooking himself some bacon. The smell of the bacon reminded Starfire of how hungry she was.</p><p>“A glorious morning to you, friends,” Starfire said, smiling warmly. “I hope you were able to rest well last night.”</p><p>“Yep,” Raven said bluntly, taking another sip of tea from her mug.</p><p>“You in the mood for bacon, Star?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“It is difficult to say no to your cooking,” Starfire said, “but first I shall partake in an appetizer.” With that, Starfire opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of syrup. She removed the cap and drank from it. Cyborg and Raven had known Starfire for way too long to consider this unusual, and did not react.</p><p>“Save some room for bacon, at least,” Cyborg said. “I’m making plenty for the four of us. Of course, I also gotta cook this nasty tofu bacon for Beast Boy.”</p><p>“I do not remember ever partaking in this tofu bacon,” Starfire said. “Do you believe Beast Boy would mind if I tried some of his?”</p><p>“Trust me, Star, you don’t wanna do that,” Cyborg said. “I’m by far the best cook of the five of us, and even I can’t stand it.”</p><p>“Alright,” Starfire said. “Do you think we will be able to make any progress in our search for Terra?”</p><p>“That’s the plan,” Cyborg replied. “We’re going to set things up in the sick bay. Unless there’s an immediate threat in the city, we’re planning on spending all our free time searching for her. It’s going to be our top priority until we find her.”</p><p>“That should make Beast Boy feel better, at least,” Raven said.</p><p>“Alright,” Cyborg said, “let’s bring breakfast over to Beast Boy and Robin. After we eat, we’ll jump right in and start searching.”</p><p>Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire all brought food with them back to the sick bay. Robin and Beast Boy were still sleeping at the moment.</p><p>“Rise and shine, guys,” Cyborg said. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”</p><p>Robin awoke right away, but Beast Boy still appeared to be sleeping. Raven used her telekinesis to nudge Beast Boy awake. When he woke up, he turned back to his human form briefly.</p><p>“Why’d you have to wake me up?” he asked with a groan. “I was in the middle of a sweet dream.”</p><p>“We’re searching for Terra,” Raven said. “I figured you’d want to be awake for that.”</p><p>“What do you think the dream was about?” Beast Boy asked. “But yeah, you’re right. Nothing can beat the real thing.”</p><p>Raven put the plate of tofu bacon in front of Beast Boy. Starfire gave Robin his food. The five heroes ate their breakfast quickly. Once they were finished, Cyborg left with the dishes. A few minutes later, he returned with two laptops, his and Robin’s. Cyborg sat down in a chair on Robin’s left, while Starfire sat to his right. Raven sat on Cyborg’s other side, and Beast Boy in his salamander form rested on Cyborg’s shoulder.</p><p>“So, Robin,” Cyborg said, “where should we start?”</p><p>“I was thinking about it before going to sleep last night,” Robin said. “We know that Terra either has no memory of her powers, or she doesn’t want to remember them. However, with her kidnapped, Slade is going to want to bring those powers back. I realized then that he’s going to need ammunition for her to practice with.” Robin started to type on his laptop and opened up security feeds across the city. “We need to look to see if there were any large movements of geological materials, especially if they occurred during the ambush of villains you guys were fighting last night.”</p><p>“How are we going to be able to review all this footage?” Raven asked.</p><p>“Luckily,” Robin said, “we have a robot on our side. Cyborg?”</p><p>“I can start running a scan of all the footage gathered the night before and isolate any large movements of geological materials that are otherwise out of place. There’s been a lot of construction around the city, but if I cross-reference my footage with project files in the local government’s database, I should be able to isolate only the movements that are out of the norm.”</p><p>“How long do you think that will take?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Hard to say, but hopefully it will only take a few hours. However, I should go back to my room. I’ve got more powerful computers in there that should reduce the time I need to run this search.”</p><p>“Sounds good, Cyborg. Can you take Raven and Beast Boy with you? I was hoping to talk to Starfire about something in private.”</p><p>Cyborg gave Robin a knowing grin, which Robin returned reluctantly.</p><p>“Alright, Casanova. I’ll leave you two alone.” Cyborg winked and let out a hearty laugh before leaving with Beast Boy still on his shoulder. Raven followed afterward, leaving Robin and Starfire alone in the sick bay.</p><p>“Is something the matter?” Starfire asked Robin.</p><p>“No, not at all,” Robin said. “I ended up having a dream last night that I wanted to discuss. Beast Boy wasn’t the only one who woke up from a dream about a girl.”</p><p>“I...believe I understand,” Starfire said. “What occurred in this dream of yours?”</p><p>“I don’t want to be too blunt,” Robin said, “but let’s just say in my dream, I had no broken ribs to inhibit my ability to move.”</p><p>“So, I take it, this dream that you had involved physical activity with me?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Well...yes,” Robin said. “It was nice, Starfire, really nice, but at the same time it made me think, and that’s what I wanted to talk about. And, I mean...part of me wants to talk, but another part of me is feeling awkward about it.”</p><p>“Well, as your girlfriend, I believe it is customary to communicate openly, yes?”</p><p>“Typically,” Robin said.</p><p>Starfire flew towards Robin and rested her hand on his shoulder. “Please, then, you do not have to feel any awkwardness around me. I would like you to share your concerns.”</p><p>“Okay,” Robin said, clearing his throat. “You’re probably already aware of this, but I never really had any friends until I met you guys. After the death of my parents, I was taken in by my mentor.”</p><p>“Your mentor as in—”</p><p>“Yes, him. And it was good to have that kind of an outlet for all that anger I felt, but at the same time, it kept me isolated. I didn’t allow myself to make any friends because I was afraid that I could endanger them if my secret identity was revealed. As a result, I had no experience with dating. You’re my first girlfriend, and obviously I’m happy about that, but I also have no idea what I’m doing.”</p><p>“That is alright with me, Robin,” Starfire said. “I have never dated anyone before you either. I believe that puts you and me in the same boat.”</p><p>“That is true,” Robin said, “but there’s still a part of me that wishes I was, you know...more prepared for this. I guess it’s almost good that I’m physically injured right now, because now I have time to talk about this issue with you without feeling any pressure to...you know, move things along.”</p><p>“I believe I understand what you are saying,” Starfire said. “Of course, there is also the issue of our cultural differences. That has been the biggest concern for me.”</p><p>“Well, since we’re sharing, go ahead,” Robin said.</p><p>“Our views of courtship in my culture are quite different from what I imagine them to be like on Earth,” Starfire said. “Marriages are primarily arranged, and are not built on a foundation of love. You saw that firsthand with the marriage my sister attempted to arrange for me. But since coming to Earth, I have always preferred the customs of courtship here. In all of the shows and movies I have watched, I have seen relationships with people who care about each other, and that has always appealed to me more than what normally occurs on my planet.”</p><p>“I hate to break it to you,” Robin said, “but a lot of those shows and movies you’re talking about tend to sugarcoat how difficult relationships can be. Real relationships are a lot messier. Couples argue, have trouble communicating, and sometimes two people stay together not because they love each other, but because they think they have no better alternatives. I don’t want that to be us.”</p><p>“I do not think that will be us,” Starfire said, resting her head on top of Robin’s. “I believe the best approach is to wait for you to recover from your injuries and then talk more about how we want our relationship to go. Do you agree?”</p><p>“Absolutely,” Robin said. He gave Starfire a reassuring kiss on the cheek, with Starfire gladly returned. The two of them smiled at each other. Robin then turned his attention back on his laptop.</p><p>“I know Cyborg’s running his scan in the other room,” Robin said, “but maybe I can find something in the meantime.”</p><p>“What are you looking for?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Slade has used multiple hideouts in the past. I’m looking to see if any of his old haunts have seen any unusual activity lately.”</p><p>Robin continued to type and browse on his laptop as he inspected places he knew Slade had once used as headquarters. Initial scans of those areas did not reveal anything out of the ordinary.</p><p>“I should have realized Slade wouldn’t be using any of his old hideouts,” Robin said. “However, given the kind of plots he’s had in the past, I have another idea.”</p><p>“What is it?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Some of his plans in the past have required the use of radioactive materials,” Robin said. “The problem with that is that they often leave residue. See? Look here.” Robin pointed to one of the first hideouts he knew Slade had used, the one where he had trained Robin to be his apprentice. “This was where he had built the nanobot technology he infected you guys with as a means to hold me hostage. The manufacturing process left behind a residue that I can trace. If any place in Jump City is using a similar technology, I should be able to find it.”</p><p>“Wonderful,” Starfire said with a smile. “How long do you think it will take to run a scan of the rest of the city?”</p><p>“A few hours. I think Cyborg and I might finish around the same time. We can compare notes later to see if we find any commonalities. If we do, those will be the best places to look for Slade.”</p><p>“I hope you are right,” Starfire said. “We need to rescue Terra as soon as possible.”</p><p>“I agree,” Robin said. “I can only imagine what Slade’s doing with her at this very moment.”</p><hr/><p>Tara was hit once again with a boulder and fell to the ground. Her body was covered in bruises and sweat. It was hard to tell how much time passed, because the warehouse where Slade was holding her captive had no windows, but she imagined they had been training for hours. Slade had tried all sorts of techniques to trigger her memory. He’d tried smaller rocks and stones, but she had no control over any of those. Occasionally, he’d throw a larger boulder or rock her way, but those seemed to be just a way for Slade to vent his frustration. Tara was almost starting to feel frustrated with herself as well. Obviously, she didn’t want to relearn these powers, but part of her wish she could so the physical attacks would stop.</p><p>Slade threw another large boulder at her, and she was too tired to even dodge out of the way like she had been earlier. It hit her square in the chest and knocked the wind out of her. As she struggled for air, Slade strolled over to her and looked down at her pitiably.</p><p>“I knew this would not be easy,” Slade said, “but I had hoped we would have made some progress by now. It is clear that it is more than just failed recollection that is holding you back.”</p><p>“What...what do you…?” Tara said, but she was gasping too hard to finish her thought.</p><p>“What do I mean?” Slade asked, surmising what she was trying to say. “I mean that you are unwilling to recall your powers. It seems I have failed to persuade you of how important it is for you to remember what you are capable of. An unfortunate setback, but one that I believe can be remedied. I have given the matter some thought as the morning has dragged on, and I believe I have come up with an idea that might speed things along.”</p><p>“What...is it?” Tara asked.</p><p>“The technique is theoretical, but I believe I know someone who would be able to attempt it. We need to tap into your repressed memories and bring them to the surface so that you might better recall your powers. I will be placing a phone call to a colleague of mine who should be able to draw your repressed powers to the surface. He is currently abroad, but should be here in a day or so, if he isn’t otherwise occupied.”</p><p>With that, Slade pulled out a device that flipped open. He noticed Tara looking at it strangely. “It’s a communicator, child,” he said flippantly. He then turned his attention back to the communicator in his hand.</p><p>“<em>Slade </em> ,” the person on the other side said. “<em>It’s been a while. </em>”</p><p>“Hello, Simon,” Slade said. “Do you recall after I freed you in Paris that you said you owed me a favor?”</p><p>“<em>I am incapable of forgetfulness </em> ,” Simon said, “<em>so of course I remember this. </em>”</p><p>“Good. I am calling in that favor now. I have with me a girl who is having difficulty recalling her powers.”</p><p>“<em>This isn’t that Terra girl, is it? You remember how well that went last time. </em>”</p><p>“Trust me, Simon. I learn from my mistakes. I need you to come to Jump City. I have the girl with me, and I need you to use your abilities to help her remember how to use hers. Can you do that for me?”</p><p>“<em>That can be arranged, but you will need to keep the Teen Titans occupied so that they will not know of my arrival there. </em>”</p><p>“That will not be an issue,” Slade said. “You’re not the only one who owes me a favor.”</p><p>“<em>Fine. I should be able to arrive there in a few hours. </em>”</p><p>“Good. I shall expect you soon, then.”</p><p>Simon hung up, and Slade returned the communicator to his belt.</p><p>“Who is this Simon guy,” Tara asked, “and what is he going to do with me?”</p><p>“I didn’t want to spoil the surprise,” Slade said, “but I’ll tell you this at least. His name is ‘Psimon’ with a silent <em> P </em> at the beginning. He has ways of bringing repressed memories to the surface. I believe he has the ability to make you remember your powers. Unfortunately for you, the process is both deeply intrusive and deeply painful. I was hoping to avoid such invasive measures, but your amnesia is deeper than I anticipated. We need to take drastic action to bring your abilities to the surface.”</p><p>“I guess that means you’re done throwing boulders at me for the rest of the day.”</p><p>“I’d hoped that would help,” Slade said, “but the results have been counterproductive, so you are right. However, there are other ways to train you that do not involve moving rocks with your mind. Step closer, child.”</p><p>Tara glared at Slade, but knowing that he could hurt her at any moment, she reluctantly rose to her feet and approached him.</p><p>“We will practice hand-to-hand combat until Psimon arrives. These techniques will be useful to get you out of trouble should there be no boulders in the immediate area.”</p><p>“Whatever,” Tara said. “Let’s just get started.”</p><p>“Fine,” Slade said. Without further warning, he swept his leg and knocked Tara to the ground. She grunted as she hit the floor, then rolled away as Slade leveled a punch that left a dent in the metallic floor. As Tara rose to her feet, she realized that she was going to have a long day ahead of her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you liked what you read, make sure to leave a kudos and a comment. I try to respond to every comment offered to me. I appreciate the support. Thank you.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi. I ran into a brief issue with timing, so I had to make a very slight change to Chapter 8 in order to make sure the timeline of events still made sense. It's a small change, so there's no need to reread, but I did want to mention it in case anyone was confused. This is the problem with being a "pantser" and not a "planner."</p><p>I also had to go back to previous chapters to fix some formatting. Hopefully I've managed to catch all the errors. No content has been changed, just spacing.</p><p>I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I think things are going to get even better in the next chapter. For now, if you like what you read, be sure to leave a kudos and a comment. I appreciate it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the day wore on, Robin found that things were entirely too quiet. True, villains tended to come out more during the nighttime, but there were plenty who operated in daylight as well, and none of them were doing much of anything at the moment. It had given the team time to try to track down Terra, but Robin was concerned that this was the calm before the storm.</p><p>Lunchtime came, and with it some excellent news from Cyborg.</p><p>“I found a trace of that residue,” he said as the rest of the team had gathered in the sick bay. “Looks like it’s coming from an abandoned warehouse in the industrial district. Chances are good that’s where Slade is keeping Terra.”</p><p>“I ran a cross-check on all of Slade’s known hideouts,” Robin said, pulling up the results on his laptop. “The warehouse you located is not one he has used before, but I think that makes it even more likely that this is where his new base is. He probably figured we would be keeping an eye on his old haunts.”</p><p>“Then it sounds like we need to get over there and bust Terra out,” said Beast Boy, briefly returning to his human form to eat lunch and take part in the discussion.</p><p>“Unfortunately, Beast Boy, you and I can’t go anywhere,” Robin said, “and I’m not comfortable sending only three of us out there to take on Slade when he’s been able to hold his own against our team even at full strength.”</p><p>“Then we need to call for backup,” Cyborg said. “This is why we went around the world looking for allies when we were fighting the Brotherhood of Evil. We should be able to ask for some help from Steel City at least.”</p><p>“Then let me reach out to them,” Robin said, “and see if they can spare a few bodies to help out.”</p><p>“I’ll give Bee a call right now,” Cyborg said. He pulled out his communicator and sent out a call to Bumblebee.</p><p>“<em>What’s up, Sparky? </em>” Bumblebee asked.</p><p>“Hey, Bee. We’ve got an important mission coming up that needs to be completed ASAP. The problem is, Robin and BB are recovering from recent injuries, and we have to go up against Slade. We were hoping we could get some help from the Titans East. Can you send anyone here for backup?”</p><p>“<em>I’m not sure we can spare anyone at the moment </em> ,” Bumblebee said. “ <em> When we were looking after Jump City while you guys were in Tokyo, that gave some of the bad guys out here a green light to wreak havoc. Pantha did what she could, but we’ve had a mess to clean up since coming back home. </em>”</p><p>The Jump City Titans frowned at the unfortunate news.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Bee. I didn’t realize things were so hectic out there.”</p><p>“<em>Well, can you explain what’s going on over there? From the look on your face, it seems serious. </em>”</p><p>“It is serious. Slade’s got Terra, and we think he might be trying to train her to be his apprentice again.”</p><p>“<em>Wait a minute. Slade’s got Terra? You mean— </em>”</p><p>“Yes, it’s the same Terra you’re thinking of.”</p><p>“<em>Wow. I had no idea she was even still alive. </em>”</p><p>“We thought it was weird, too, but it’s definitely her. Beast Boy confirmed it a few months ago. Based on his last conversations with her, we’re pretty sure she’s completely forgotten her powers, but if that somehow changes, she and Slade together could pose a serious threat.”</p><p>“<em>That’s not good </em> ,” Bumblebee said. “ <em> So, if you’re planning on busting her out, maybe I can send Mas y Menos out there a few minutes before you’re ready to head out. They can get there faster than the rest of us, so if you give them fifteen minutes before you head out, they should be at Jump City by the time you’re ready to go. Unfortunately, I don’t feel comfortable sending anyone else out there. </em>”</p><p>“That’s okay,” Cyborg said. “I have someone else in mind I can contact. We’re planning to head out at 8:00 tonight, our time, to spring Terra.”</p><p>“<em>Okay then. I’ll send the twins your way fifteen minutes prior. </em>”</p><p>“Thanks, Bee.”</p><p>“<em>Anytime, Sparky. </em>”</p><p>Cyborg turned off the communicator. He then immediately dialed another number.</p><p>“Who else are you reaching out to?” Robin asked.</p><p>“Someone who knows this city like the back of her hand,” Cyborg said. After a few rings, Cyborg got through.</p><p>“Hey, Jinx. It’s Cyborg.”</p><p>“<em>Cyborg?”</em> Jinx said with a loud yawn. “<em>It’s midnight over here.</em>”</p><p>“I know, and I’m sorry, but we’ve got a serious issue out here in Jump City. How are things out in India?”</p><p>“<em>Pretty quiet, actually. I was trying to catch up on my beauty sleep. </em>”</p><p>“I understand, but I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.”</p><p>“<em>No worries. What’s going on? </em>”</p><p>“Slade’s kidnapped Terra and two members of our team are too injured for field work. We’ve got Mas y Menos on their way from Steel City, but it would be helpful if you could come along, too.”</p><p>“<em>Wait a second. Did you say Terra? I thought she sacrificed herself to defeat Slade a long time ago. </em>”</p><p>“Beast Boy ran into her a few months ago, and we’ve been able to confirm it’s her. Can you help us bust her out?”</p><p>“<em>I’d love to, but I’m half a world away at the moment. Even if I wanted to help, it would take me at least a day to get out there. </em>”</p><p>“Jinx, it’s Raven.” Raven flew over to where Cyborg was standing and took his communicator from him so she could talk to Jinx. “I can teleport myself over to your location to pick you up and bring you back here in minutes. It’ll take a lot out of me to travel that far and to bring you back, but if I get you now, I can recuperate in time to head out tonight to go after Slade.”</p><p>“<em>Okay, Raven. You have access to my coordinates. I just need about ten minutes to get ready. </em>”</p><p>“Fair enough,” Raven said.</p><p>“Thanks, Jinx, we owe you one,” Cyborg said before disconnecting the call.</p><p>“Sounds like we’ve got the manpower we need to go after Slade,” Robin said. “I can monitor the situation from here tonight.”</p><p>“Yeah, I just hope nobody decides to cause trouble before then,” Cyborg said.</p><p>The team finished eating their lunch in relative silence. They were hopeful that they had discovered Terra’s whereabouts without Slade realizing it, and so they hoped to be able to have the element of their surprise to their advantage. Still, Slade was anything but predictable, and even with the reinforcements of Mas y Menos and Jinx, Robin was still concerned that the team would have difficulty taking down Slade and rescuing Terra. Once lunch ended, Raven teleported out of the sick bay. About two minutes later, she returned with Jinx in tow. Raven then collapsed on the ground.</p><p>“Raven, are you alright?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Fine,” Raven said, struggling to sit up, “but now you know why I can’t do that very often.”</p><p>“Take my bed,” Beast Boy said. “Salamanders don’t take up much room.”</p><p>“Salamanders?” Jinx asked.</p><p>“Yeah. I broke my leg last night and salamanders can heal their limbs faster than humans,” Beast Boy explained.</p><p>“Sure,” Jinx said, although she was still looking at Beast Boy with an eyebrow raised.</p><p>“Glad you two made it here okay,” Cyborg said.</p><p>“Yeah, me, too,” Jinx said with another yawn. “You know, jet lag is a serious problem changing time zones this quickly. Is there a place for me to crash for a few hours before we head out tonight?”</p><p>“My bed’s free,” Robin said, “and definitely much cleaner than Beast Boy’s.”</p><p>“Hey,” Beast Boy said. “I wasn’t expecting company.”</p><p>The others all chuckled, and even Raven found herself cracking a smile.</p><p>“Robin’s bed it is,” Jinx said. “Do not wake me up until we’re ready to head out. Bad things tend to happen when I try to use my powers while sleep-deprived.”</p><p>“No problem,” Cyborg said. “You need me to help you find Robin’s room?”</p><p>“You’re forgetting the time when my old team kicked you out of the tower. I know my way around.”</p><p>“Oh, right,” Cyborg said, clearly abashed. “We’ll, uh...wake you up when we’re ready to go.”</p><p>“Cool,” Jinx said, giving Cyborg a playful pinch on the arm. “See you later.”</p><p>As Jinx left the room, Cyborg started blushing a bit. Once she was gone, Beast Boy gave Cyborg a knowing sneer.</p><p>“What are you looking at?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“Dude, even <em> I </em> know the real reason you called Jinx over here.”</p><p>“Oh, come on,” Cyborg said. “You know strategically that she was the most logical option.”</p><p>“Whatever, dude,” Beast Boy said. “Use any excuse you want.”</p><p>“Cyborg’s not wrong,” Robin said. “It was smart to call in a favor from someone who knows the area.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Cyborg said.</p><p>“Just make sure that whatever you two decide to do after the mission, you use your room, not mine,” Robin added with a smirk.</p><p>Everyone, even Cyborg, allowed themselves a laugh at that.</p><p>“All kidding aside, though,” Robin said, “we’re going to need a plan of attack. Let’s examine the area and come up with a game plan now.”</p><p>The rest of the team gathered around Robin to start working on the plan to rescue their old friend. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by an alert.</p><p>“What now?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>Robin pulled up a feed.</p><p>“Looks like we’ve got some old H.I.V.E. members wreaking havoc,” he said. “See-More, Private H.I.V.E, and Kyd Wykkyd are downtown.”</p><p>“Star and I can handle them,” Cyborg said. “You can work on tonight’s plan with Raven and BB, since they won’t be able to help us in the field anyway.”</p><p>“Think you can do that, Star?” Robin asked.</p><p>“Absolutely,” Starfire replied. “We should be capable of handling this situation.”</p><p>“Good, then you two head out. Let me know when you’re able to subdue the threat and return here.”</p><p>Cyborg and Starfire nodded before leaving the sick bay. Raven and Beast Boy stayed with Robin and began coming up with the plan they would need to rescue Terra.</p><hr/><p>“I have excellent news,” Slade said to Tara. “Our guest shall be arriving any minute now. You are about to remember everything you’ve chosen to forget. After that, our training can really begin.”</p><p>Tara was gasping for breath. She had been training with Slade on hand-to-hand combat for hours, with little time for rest except to drink water or go to the bathroom. Thankfully, there was a bathroom in the old warehouse that was still functioning, but Slade had demanded to wait just outside the door to make sure she would not try to do anything to help her escape. Now that Psimon would be arriving, Slade finally had something else to focus on besides Tara. He had of course remembered to retrigger the things inside her that prevented her from moving. That, combined with Tara’s own physical fatigue, made her utterly exhausted, lying on the floor and struggling to breathe.</p><p>“You’ll be getting a physical break while Psimon is here,” Slade said, “but your mind is going to be even more active than your body has been all day. I will have to keep you restrained while he goes to work on your memories, because his technique can leave your body flailing around uncontrollably otherwise. I would also suggest relieving yourself before we begin, to avoid any chance of an accident.”</p><p>“F...fine,” Tara said, “but you gotta turn off these things you implanted in me. I’m barely able to move under my own strength after the beatings you’ve been giving me.”</p><p>“Nice try,” Slade said. “I’ll help you to the bathroom myself.”</p><p>He walked over and grabbed Tara off the ground. She was too exhausted to fight him off, and when they got to the bathroom, Slade dumped her unceremoniously on the ground.</p><p>“I suggest you find enough resolve to get yourself onto the toilet,” Slade said, “unless you want me to help you with that as well.”</p><p>“No way,” Tara said. “I’ll do it myself.”</p><p>“Good,” Slade said. A beeping noise went off. Slade looked at his communicator.</p><p>“It appears Psimon has arrived. I’ll fill him in, and when you are done in there, we’ll begin.”</p><p>Slade walked away, knowing full well that there was no chance of her escaping with her fatigue and the nanobots active.</p><p>He walked a long ways down the abandoned warehouse to where the entrance was. He opened the door, and bright sunlight shone through the dark warehouse as Psimon entered. The veins of the brain beneath the glass container on his head were pulsating and glowing pink. His armor sported a similar shade of pink among the black, and his irises were glowing pink as well.</p><p>“It’s good to see you arrived unharmed,” Slade said. “I took it the distraction I sent a half hour ago freed you of any interference from the Teen Titans.”</p><p>“Yes, it would appear that that was the case,” Psimon replied. “Where’s the girl?”</p><p>“Relieving herself before we begin,” Slade said. “I warned her your methods would cause her to lose control of all her bodily functions.”</p><p>“A pity. I usually like to leave that a surprise,” Psimon said. “I have ashamed more than one of my foes by refusing to warn them first about the unfortunate side effects.”</p><p>“Trust me, Psimon, this girl has enough memories to be ashamed of,” Slade said. “I think you will find her one of your most interesting patients yet.”</p><p>“You must not know much about my usual clientele,” Psimon said with a chuckle.</p><p>“Believe me, I do,” Slade said. “Nevertheless, I still stand by my statement.”</p><p>“We’ll see if you’re right,” Psimon said. They heard grunting from a distance.</p><p>“It seems she is ready,” Slade said. “I’ll help her back to her chair.”</p><p>Slade jogged over, grabbed Tara, and carried her to her chair. He restrained her with metal that kept her arms and legs bound so that she was unable to move.</p><p>“This is Psimon, the man who will be restoring your lost memories. Psimon, this is Tara.”</p><p>“A pleasure to meet you, Tara,” Psimon said with a wry smile.</p><p>“Can’t say the same,” Tara said.</p><p>Slade slapped her across the face. “Mind your manners, child,” he said.</p><p>“Go to Hell!” Tara yelled. She spat at Slade. Psimon then placed his hand on her head. A blast of pulsating pink energy coursed into Tara’s head, and she started to scream. When Psimon removed his hand, her head buckled and she was panting harder than ever.</p><p>“That was just a sneak preview of the work we are about to do,” Psimon said, now snarling. “I don’t have much time, so we will have to make this quick. Unfortunately for you, the quicker I have to work, the more painful the experience tends to be. My best advice to you is not to resist. The more you fight the inevitable, the worse the pain feels.”</p><p>“Fine,” Tara growled. “Go ahead.”</p><p>“Slade, it would do best for you to stand back and give me space to work.”</p><p>“Understood,” Slade said. “Let me know when her memories have been recovered.” With that, Slade walked away, leaving Psimon and Tara alone.</p><p>“Depending on how deeply you’ve repressed your past,” Psimon said, “this process could be over in either a few minutes or a few hours. Are you ready?”</p><p>“Just do it,” Tara said.</p><p>“Fine.” With that, Psimon placed both of his hands on Tara’s head. Pulsating waves of pink energy coursed through his hands and seemed to enter directly into Tara’s skull. Immediately, she started to scream, feeling waves of intense pain. Tara tried desperately not to resist, but instinct was trying to distance her from the painful procedure.</p><p>Suddenly, Tara began to see flashes of images course through her head. Each only lasted a fraction of a second, and the sheer number of them made it difficult for Tara to focus on any one part of them. Somehow, though, she was able to pick up some details here and there.</p><p>A castle. A courtyard. Rocks swirling around here. People panicking. An angry mob. A boat sailing across the sea. Running through deserts. Mudslides. Earthquakes. More rocks swirling around her. Flying on a rock. A hairpiece shaped like a butterfly. The Teen Titans. Beast Boy. Slade. A Ferris wheel. A diner. A house of mirrors. A dark cave. Collapsing stones. Her friend Ashley. Her new home. A man in an eyepatch. The warehouse.</p><p>Finally, Tara began to scream even louder. She was somehow causing boulders nearby to rumble. Suddenly, a flurry of boulders flew towards Psimon and knocked him off his feet. When the connection to him disappeared, the pain finally stopped, and so did the boulders.</p><p>Tara’s head buckled, and she was gasping for air again. Her entire body was drenched in sweat. She had no sense of how long it had been since Psimon had started his procedure.</p><p>Slade walked back over to her. Although his face was hidden behind his mask, his one visible eye seemed to bore into her skull as harshly as Psimon had been.</p><p>“You attacked Psimon in a moment of self-defense. You moved those boulders, Terra. And yes, I am calling you now by that name, because I believe now that you must remember your past. Tell me what you remember, now, or I will have Psimon start to work on you again.”</p><p>Tara was still shaking and panting. She was also starting to feel queasy.</p><p>“What do you remember?” Slade asked again, louder.</p><p>“Everything!” Terra cried. It had all seemed so confusing while Psimon had worked on her, but now that they had been disconnected, the memories were falling into place. “I remember all of it. I used to live in a castle. I was a princess. When my powers began to develop, they called me a witch and sent me away. Everywhere I went, I caused natural disasters and was forced to leave. The Teen Titans were the only ones who understood me, but you took advantage of me. You made me turn on them. I almost killed them all, but then Beast Boy helped me, and I killed you instead. Then I was petrified, turned to stone, and I forgot all my powers once I broke out. Then you found me and brought me here, and now I remember all of it. My entire life.”</p><p>“Astounding,” Slade said. “Involving Psimon has clearly been a worthwhile endeavor.</p><p>“Psimon, you may go now,” he said to Psimon, who was still on the floor after Terra’s attack. “Your debt to me has been paid. I have no more use for you.”</p><p>“Fine,” Psimon said. He rose to his feet and hobbled away, still clearly suffering from Terra’s attack.</p><p>Slade undid Terra’s restraints, and she collapsed to the floor. Her nausea finally won the battle raging in her stomach, and she threw up. She then started to dry heave and gag. Slade waited patiently for her to finish.</p><p>“You bastard,” Terra said with a groan.</p><p>“I understand that you have been through an enormous ordeal,” Slade said. “Bringing a lifetime of repressed memories to the surface is never an easy task. It is clear, though, that you are ready to relearn your powers and become my apprentice again. I will give you five minutes to compose yourself, and we will begin the training again in earnest.”</p><p>Slade walked away, leaving Terra retching on the floor. As much as she hated to admit it, her memories had been restored. The guise of Tara was gone, and she knew now that she could never return to the normal life that she had somehow built for herself. Her school, her friends, her family, she would never be able to go back to them now. Perhaps at some point she might be able to overpower Slade with her powers in order to escape. For now, though, she was still far too weak to try anything of the sort. She would have to play Slade’s game for now. Hopefully, though, it wouldn’t have to be for long.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>She remembers everything! Things are really going to take off next chapter. I already have a good idea of what I want to do. Thanks for reading, and be sure to leave a kudos and comment if you haven't done so already if you enjoyed this chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wanted to point out that I somehow completely forgot that Mas y Menos spoke Spanish. When I mentioned last time that they would be helping the team rescue Terra, it didn't occur to me until a few days ago that I would need to translate their dialogue. I gave them brief phrases to use, so I think I was able to translate those accurately. If anyone knows Spanish and notices a flaw in their dialogue, please let me know. Thanks.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Starfire carried Cyborg with her as she flew downtown. When they arrived, they saw Kyd Wykkyd, See-More, and Private H.I.V.E. waiting for them. If anyone else had been around, they were long gone by now. That meant the two Titans wouldn’t have to hold back.</p><p>“I can see them coming now,” See-More yelled.</p><p>“I can see them, too,” Private H.I.V.E. said. “They aren’t exactly difficult to spot.”</p><p>“When we’re done with you,” Cyborg yelled, “the next thing you’ll be seeing is a jail cell!”</p><p>“For what?” See-More asked. “We haven’t even done anything yet.”</p><p>Kyd Wykkyd swung his cape and vanished. He reappeared just above Starfire and sent out a kick that sent her and Cyborg careening through the air. He teleported again to ground level, while Starfire and Cyborg fell on the rooftop of Pizza Corner.</p><p>“We’ll start with an assault charge,” Cyborg said. “That means everything we do to fight back is self-defense.” Cyborg armed his sonic cannon and shot it towards See-More and Private H.I.V.E. Private H.I.V.E. was knocked backward, but See-More managed to dodge the attack. See-More countered with energy blasts from his eye, which Starfire was able to deflect with well-aimed starbolts. Private H.I.V.E. hurled his shield at Starfire, which knocked her off balance. See-More followed up with some high speed lasers that sent her flying towards the edge of the balcony.</p><p>The shield returned to its owner, who Cyborg started running towards. Kyd Wykkyd teleported on top of him and began riding on his shoulders. Cyborg grunted and threw him off, but he teleported and landed safely on the ground. See-More then hit Cyborg with more lasers which connected because Cyborg had lost his focus. Cyborg then hid behind a car for cover. Starfire flew to the same spot.</p><p>“We’re outnumbered,” Cyborg said. “These guys are coordinating their attacks, fighting like a well-oiled machine. We need to step up our game or we’re gonna get clobbered.”</p><p>“Allow me to do the stepping up,” Starfire said. She rose from behind the car with her hands and eyes glowing green. She then screamed at the top of her lungs and sent a flurry of starbolts and eye beams at the three villains. The onslaught blinded them as they were overwhelmed with the attack. At the end of it, the three villains were knocked out on the ground, and there was a lot of collateral damage to the nearby road where they had been standing. It looked as though the three villains had been knocked out cold. Cyborg was astonished at the amount of damage Starfire had been able to deal out so quickly.</p><p>“We should wait here for the authorities to take these villains in,” Starfire said.</p><p>“Sure thing,” Cyborg said. “I just have one question. How did you do that?”</p><p>“My powers are fueled by emotion,” Starfire said. “I was feeling frustrated and angry, and I was able to channel that into the powerful attack you just saw.”</p><p>“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Cyborg said. “If you don’t mind me asking, what were you feeling so angry about?”</p><p>“Are you sure you wish to know?” Starfire asked. “I do not wish to worry you with the thoughts that are troubling me.”</p><p>“It’s not a problem at all,” Cyborg said. “You might start to feel better if you talk about it.”</p><p>“Alright, if you really want to know,” Starfire said. “I have had feelings for a long time about Robin, but I had been too shy to share them with him. We finally had a moment in Tokyo where we felt comfortable enough to share how we feel about each other. This should have made us happy, but look at what has happened since then. Robin was injured by the Kardiak, Slade has returned, and we have been fighting villains with very little rest in between. I have wanted to spend time with Robin, but other concerns have gotten in the way. I suppose most of my anger has come from that.”</p><p>“I get it,” Cyborg said. “I’m sorry you and Robin haven’t had time to yourselves. Hopefully we can put a stop to Slade and earn ourselves a real break.”</p><p>The police force arrived to detain the three villains Starfire had defeated.</p><p>“Good,” Cyborg said. “Now we can go back and see what plan the others have to bust out Terra.”</p><p>Starfire grabbed Cyborg and flew back towards the tower. They arrived after just a few minutes and returned to the sick bay.</p><p>“Glad to see you back so fast,” Robin said as Starfire and Cyborg entered. “We weren’t expecting you for a while. What happened?”</p><p>“I may have...tapped into some anger I was feeling,” Starfire said, blushing.</p><p>“What have you guys figured out so far?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“I’ve figured out a plan to infiltrate the hideout and extract Terra,” Robin said. “Jinx should be able to manipulate bad luck to our advantage. She can use her powers on any kind of locks on the warehouse door to cause them to rust and decay. Cyborg, you should be able to use your strength to break the locks clean off and find a way inside. Starfire can light up the inside so we can see what we’re dealing with. Mas y Menos can run through the warehouse as scouts and report back with any traps Slade might have laid and the location of Terra. The team can hold off any defense measures Slade might have planned while Raven frees Terra and teleports her back to the tower. Once she’s secured, the rest of you can make a clean getaway.”</p><p>“Sounds like a solid plan,” Cyborg said.</p><p>“Yeah, there’s just one problem,” Beast Boy said, turning briefly back into his human form to address the rest of the group. “I want to tag along to help you guys get Terra out safely, but Boy Wonder won’t let me go.”</p><p>“Beast Boy, we talked about this,” Robin said. “I can’t in good conscience send anyone to go out after Slade if they’re not one hundred percent healthy. Your leg hasn’t fully healed yet, and you would be a liability to the team and could harm our chances of freeing Terra and leaving unscathed.”</p><p>“So you’re telling me if Starfire was the one who was captured, you would have no problem staying behind?”</p><p>“Of course I’d have a problem with it,” Robin said. Starfire beamed when she heard that, but Robin was too focused on Beast Boy to notice. “But I would have to use my head over my heart when making the decision to go out there. I can’t risk the safety of the mission by sending someone out into the field who isn’t able to operate at their best.”</p><p>“There’s a whole bunch of things I could do out there that wouldn’t even involve my leg,” Beast Boy said. “I could be a bird, a pterodactyl, or any other creature that can fly. No legs involved, just arms...er, I mean wings.”</p><p>“You’re not going to change my mind on this,” Robin said. “When we get Terra back—and I promise you, we will—you can help her recover from her ordeal. In fact, there’s no one I trust more to be able to help Terra once we’ve rescued her. We’ll help her deal with the trauma of being kidnapped, heal her if she has any injuries, and then send her back home.”</p><p>“Wait, we’re sending her home?” Beast Boy asked.</p><p>“Yes, Beast Boy. You should know better than anyone. Terra doesn’t belong with us. She wants no part of the hero life anymore. She made that clear to you when you approached her months ago.”</p><p>“Then how are we supposed to keep her safe?” Beast Boy asked. “You send her back home, and you’re just asking for Slade to kidnap her again.”</p><p>“Enough!” Raven shouted, her voice magnified to overpower Robin and Beast Boy’s own voices. Beast Boy shrank back into salamander form. “You’re both thinking too far ahead. The only thing that should concern us right now is bringing Terra back here. We can figure out the rest of the details later.”</p><p>“Raven’s right,” Cyborg said. “We can deal with everything else later. The only mission is to get Terra out of Slade’s grasp.”</p><p>“Then rest up,” Robin said. “You’ll need all your strength for tonight.”</p><p>Raven and Cyborg left the sick bay. Starfire, however, remained temporarily behind.</p><p>“Robin, I...I think we need to talk at some point. Not now, but after we have brought Terra back safely.”</p><p>“Is everything okay?” Robin asked.</p><p>“Yes, everything is fine,” Starfire said. “It can wait.”</p><p>“Okay then,” Robin said. “You should rest up so you’re ready for tonight.”</p><p>Starfire nodded, gave Robin a kiss on the forehead, and left the sick bay.</p><hr/><p>The evening had arrived, and Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Jinx were in the sick bay with Robin and Beast Boy getting ready for the mission. Robin had been tracking Mas y Menos, and they were now at the entrance of the tower. They scanned their fingerprints and eyes to gain access to the tower, and they sped up to the sick bay.</p><p>“<em>¡Más y Menos, sí podemos! </em>” they cried as they entered.</p><p>“Right on time,” Robin said. “You feel ready to head out soon? You ran pretty far to get here.”</p><p>“<em>Nosotros estamos bien. </em>” they replied in unison, giving Robin a salute.</p><p>“I assume that’s a yes then,” Robin said.</p><p>Mas y Menos nodded.</p><p>“Good. You had all better head out now. Keep me updated on what’s happening out there.”</p><p>With that, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, Jinx, and Mas y Menos headed out. They would be taking the T-Car to the warehouse and moving in immediately. Beast Boy turned back into human form briefly.</p><p>“You think Terra’s gonna be okay?” he asked.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Robin said, “but we’re prepared to help her if Slade’s hurt her in any way. We’ll make sure she’s healthy enough to send her back home.”</p><p>“Okay then,” Beast Boy said, returning to salamander form. No wisecracks or anger. Seeing Beast Boy so somber worried Robin, but he had to focus on the mission at hand first.</p><hr/><p>The attack team finally arrived at the warehouse. They had parked far away to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves. Cyborg called in. “Robin, we’ve arrived at the warehouse. There’s nobody outside.”</p><p>“<em>Slade wouldn’t have wanted to draw attention to his hideout </em> ,” Robin said. “ <em> If there’s any resistance, it’s all going to be inside. </em>”</p><p>“Understood,” Cyborg said. “Jinx, go ahead.”</p><p>“With pleasure,” Jinx replied. She sent a small wave of pink energy at the lock. As planned, the lock rusted over enough so Cyborg could blast it clean off with his sonic cannon.</p><p>“Your powers are definitely interesting,” he said to Jinx. “How’d you learn how to do that?”</p><p>“Honestly,” Jinx said, “I’m not completely sure myself. I just roll with it.” She pinched Cyborg playfully on the arm again as they entered the warehouse.</p><p>Starfire charged a starbolt in hand to light the interior. Mas y Menos then sped through the warehouse to scout the area. After a second, the other Titans heard Mas y Menos grunt and fall to the floor.</p><p>“Someone else is here,” Cyborg said. “Move!”</p><p>The other Titans followed where the sound was and ran directly into Slade. He was flanked by a small army of his fighting drones, two of which had Mas y Menos in hand, separated so that they couldn’t use their powers.</p><p>“I had a feeling you’d be coming here tonight.” Slade said.</p><p>“Let Terra go!” Starfire yelled, shooting starbolts towards Slade. He leapt effortlessly out of the way.</p><p>“Do you think you have what it takes to stop me?” Slade asked. “Your leader is injured, as is the foolish boy who chose to fall for this girl. You can’t send a B-league team to fight an A-league villain.”</p><p>“I promise you this, Slade,” Cyborg replied. “We aren’t some B-league team. Titans, go!”</p><p>The team of Titans charged towards Slade and his drones. Slade jumped behind his drones and let them lead the attack. The four Titans were able to hold off the first wave of drones with a flurry of projectiles and attacks that lit up the room. Jinx weaved around the drones in front of her and sent a wave of her energy towards the ceiling above Slade. The part of the ceiling she hit collapsed. Slade dodged out of the way, but Jinx cartwheeled towards him and hit him with a well-aimed kick. Slade stumbled back but quickly recovered and dodged her next attack.</p><p>“A pity you decided to change sides,” Slade said. “You were always one of the more competent members of the H.I.V.E. academy.”</p><p>“That’s why I changed sides in the first place,” Jinx said. She sent another wave of energy at Slade that hit him in the chest. At first, nothing happened, but then Slade keeled over.</p><p>“A heart attack?” Jinx asked. “How unlucky.”</p><p>Suddenly, Slade recovered and dove towards Jinx, knocking her to the ground.</p><p>“It’ll take more than luck to crack my body armor,” Slade said. He aimed a punch, which Jinx was able to roll away from. Then, Slade followed with a kick that connected and sent her rolling backwards. Before he could aim another attack, Cyborg rammed into him with his shoulder, sending him flying.</p><p>“You okay?” Cyborg asked Jinx.</p><p>“I’ve taken worse beatings,” Jinx replied, “mainly from you.”</p><p>Cyborg felt awkward about that statement until Jinx winked at him and giggled.</p><p>“Watch out!” Jinx suddenly cried. She sent out another wave of energy, which Cyborg ducked under. It hit a wave of three drones that had been approaching, but Jinx’s powers caused them to short circuit and fall over.</p><p>Meanwhile, Raven and Starfire had gotten surrounded by a dozen other drones. They were able to fend them off with projectiles. Once the wave had been cleared, they saw a group of drones escaping with Mas y Menos in tow. Starfire was about to launch an attack, but Raven grabbed her arm to stop her.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Slade’s trying to hold us off and escape with more hostages,” Raven said. “Those drones are probably going for Terra. We need to follow them.”</p><p>Starfire nodded, and the two Titans flew after the drones. Rather than finding Terra, though, they ended up being led to about twenty other drones.</p><p>“A trap,” Starfire said.</p><p>“Hold on,” Raven said. She surrounded herself with a dark aura and unleashed a powerful dark wave that shorted out all of the drones, including the two that had been holding Mas y Menos captive. There were no other drones nearby.</p><p>“Are you two okay?” Starfire asked the twins.</p><p>“<em>Si, señorita </em>,” they replied.</p><p>“Do you know where Terra is?” Raven asked.</p><p>“<em>Un momento </em>,” they replied. They grabbed each others’ hands and sped off. A few seconds later, they returned and beckoned Starfire and Raven to follow them. Mas y Menos led the way, and Starfire and Raven used more projectiles to defend themselves from incoming drones. They arrived at where Terra was being held on the far side of the warehouse. She had already been untied, but she looked dazed and confused.</p><p>“Terra!” Starfire cried. “Or do you still not go by that name?”</p><p>“No, it’s Terra now,” she replied. “Look out!”</p><p>Terra had noticed a stray drone coming towards them. Almost out of instinct, she sent a small boulder careening towards it. She hit it in the head, and the head came clean off. The drone’s body collapsed as well.</p><p>“Nice shot,” Raven said. “But how are you able to use your powers now?”</p><p>“Long story,” Terra said. “And I haven’t really returned to form yet. I can explain later, assuming you’re here to bust me out.”</p><p>“Yes, that’s why we’re here,” Raven said. “We need to find Cyborg and Jinx and get out of here.”</p><p>“Jinx? I thought she was one of the bad guys,” Terra said.</p><p>“A lot of things have changed since you’ve been gone,” Raven said. “Trust me, though, she’s one of the good guys.”</p><p>“Come, we need to leave as quickly as possible,” Starfire said.</p><p>“No, wait! We can’t leave yet,” Terra said.</p><p>“Why not?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Slade injected me with something to keep me in line. He’s got the trigger. One press of the button and—ARRGH!” Almost as if on cue, Terra keeled over as pain radiated through her body. Slade stepped forward out of the shadows.</p><p>“She was telling you about the nanobots I injected into her bloodstream,” Slade said. “A physical demonstration makes the point so much more directly, doesn’t it?”</p><p>“Give me the trigger,” Raven said. She used her telekinesis to try to pry the trigger out of Slade’s hand. Surprisingly, Slade didn’t object. Raven pressed the button to try to reverse the effect, but Terra screamed out in more pain.</p><p>“What did you do to this?” Raven asked, barely able to contain her surprise.</p><p>“Only I can disable the device,” Slade said. “If anyone else tries to deactivate it, it strengthens the effect.”</p><p>“Then I’ll make you disable it,” Raven said. Before she could do anything, though, Slade leapt forward and hit her with his shoulder. Raven fell over, and the trigger fell out of her hand. Terra was still screaming with pain.</p><p>“Please, make it stop!” Terra cried.</p><p>Starfire flew forward and tackled Slade to the ground. She then hit him with a flurry of starbolts and then an elongated eye beam attack. Slade was knocked unconscious.</p><p>“Raven, give me the switch,” Starfire cried.</p><p>Raven rose from the ground and used telekinesis to pass the switch to Starfire. She used Slade’s thumb to press down on the trigger. Terra’s screaming finally stopped, and she began gasping for air.</p><p>“Thank you,” she managed to say before falling unconscious.</p><p>“Starfire calling in to Robin,” Starfire said. “We have defeated Slade and freed Terra. We need to locate Cyborg and Jinx and make our escape.”</p><p>“<em>Excellent. Get out of there as soon as you can. Is Terra okay? </em>”</p><p>“She is unconscious, but she is fine. Slade infected her with some sort of nanobots, but we were able to deactivate them for now.”</p><p>“<em>We have the tools to remove those back at the tower. Get out of there as soon as you can. </em>”</p><p>“Copy,” Starfire said. She picked up Terra’s body, and she and Raven flew towards the exit. They met up with Cyborg and Jinx, who were standing in a pile of drones that they had defeated.</p><p>“You found Terra,” Cyborg said. “Is she okay?”</p><p>“For now,” Raven said. “We have to leave.”</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, where did Slade go?” Cyborg asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I knocked him unconscious a minute ago,” Starfire said. “I shall go retrieve him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hurry,” Cyborg said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Starfire flew back off in the direction where she had left Slade’s body. After a moment, she came back empty-handed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He has vanished,” Starfire reported. “I am unsure where he has gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t risk looking for him now,” Cyborg said. “We’ve gotta get back to the tower. Move!”</span>
</p><p>The Titans, now with Terra in tow, left the warehouse. It had gotten darker outside, but they had no trouble finding the T-Car and driving back towards the tower.</p><p>Back at the sick bay, Robin breathed a sigh of relief. Beast Boy turned back into human form, grinning ear to ear.</p><p>“They saved her,” Beast Boy said.</p><p>“Yes, the mission was a success,” Robin replied. “We’ll need to find a way to free Terra from the nanobots, but she’s safe for now.”</p><p>“Sweet,” Beast Boy said. “How is she doing?”</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Robin said. “You’ll have to ask her when the others get back.”</p><p>Beast Boy was eager to reunite with Terra, but he had no idea what Slade had done with her. He wouldn’t know for sure until the other Titans brought her back. His stomach was fluttering with excitement and nerves. But until he had the chance to talk to her in person, he would have no idea how she felt about him. The only thing that was clear to him at this point was how he felt about her.</p><p>He just hoped she would be able to handle it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Terra is free, but what will befall our heroes next? Tune in next time. If you liked what you read, please leave a kudos and comment. I appreciate it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi. One quick thing I wanted to mention. I had to modify the ending of Chapter 10 slightly, because of an important detail I left too open-ended. The Titans rescued Terra successfully, but they were not able to apprehend Slade. He was able to escape the warehouse. With that out of the way, enjoy the next chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The ride back to Titans Tower was a bit of an awkward one. Since there was not enough room for seven, Mas y Menos had to run back alongside the car while the others were inside. Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven did not have much to say to Terra, who, after waking up, was staring gloomingly out the window. Jinx had only known Terra by reputation, and the reputation was not a good one. She may have redeemed herself when she sacrificed her body to defeat Slade, but the events leading up to that were full of selfishness and betrayal of her closest friends. Jinx knew a thing or two about switching sides, but she had neither willfully deceived her partners nor considered them close friends to begin with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The team escorted Terra up to the sick bay when they arrived at the tower. Beast Boy reverted to his human form and tried to leap off the bed to give Terra a hug, but he was quickly reminded that his leg still could not carry his weight when he fell face first on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys did it! You saved her!” Beast Boy exclaimed, seeming to have taken his clumsiness in stride.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Robin couldn’t help but smile. “How are you feeling?” he asked Terra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exhausted,” Terra said, and she looked it. She had not been able to sleep properly since being abducted, and the bags under her eyes and her inability to stand up straight betrayed just how exhausted she felt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know you need to rest,” Robin replied, “and you will, but we need to take care of something first. Cyborg, can you set up the machine?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On it,” Cyborg said. He left the sick bay to get the machine he needed. While they waited, Robin explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have a way to remove the nanobots Slade implanted in your system,” Robin said. “He used a similar technology on my friends when he held me captive as his apprentice. Removing them is a difficult process, and we understand you’re already tired as it is, but we can’t consider you safe until we make sure the nanobots have been removed. We have the trigger Slade was using, but he could have a second one stored away somewhere, so we need to do this now. Are you up for it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, no,” Terra said, “but like you said, I’m not safe until you get these things out of me, so I’m not gonna wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good to hear,” Robin said. “We need to call your family and let you know that we’ve brought you here. We can escort you back home in the morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Terra said, but Robin wasn’t sure she was even listening due to her exhaustion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a question,” Raven said. “How were you able to gain back your memories and your powers? I was curious about it back at the warehouse, but I didn’t have time to ask until now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was miserable,” Terra said. “Slade called some creep with a giant brain encased in glass, and he did something to my mind that seemed to unlock all my old memories.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Psimon,” Jinx said. “He has powers to do all kinds of things to your memories.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No kidding,” Terra said with a sigh. “It was painful, but it worked. He restored every memory I had from before I turned to stone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Diablo</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Mas y Menos muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can say that again,” Jinx said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A silence fell on the room after that. Beast Boy interrupted it by clearing his throat and turning to address Terra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look,” Beast Boy said, “I’m sorry I was pushy with you a few months ago. I recognized you after thinking you were dead, and I guess I was trying to hold onto a past that didn’t really belong to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beast Boy,” Terra said before letting out a long yawn. “Now that I can actually remember the times you were talking about, I’m confused. I betrayed you for that creep who kidnapped me. Why do you trust me now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beast Boy struggled to find an answer, but Raven intervened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you redeemed yourself,” she said. “In the end, just before you turned to stone, you fought back against Slade’s influence. You saved our lives.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what she said,” Beast Boy added. “Things between us were rough for a while there, but when the chips were down, you came through. We thought the sacrifice killed you, and for all you knew at the time, it did. That means you were willing to give your life to save us. That’s the Terra that I was proud to remember, the hero.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I could feel as good about it as you do,” Terra said. “Right now I don’t feel like much of a hero.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have been through a lot,” Starfire said. “Slade caused you much suffering when he abducted you. What you went through would have been difficult for even the bravest hero to endure, but you remained strong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not gonna forget that,” Robin said, “but at the same time, where you go from here is up to you. Once the nanobots are removed and we’ve called your family to let them know you’re safe, the path you choose will be entirely your own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I would rather just go home,” Terra said. “It’s going to be hard to deal with knowing that I have powers, but I don’t think the hero life is for me. I’m not brave enough to face the kind of dangers you guys deal with everyday, and I don’t feel strong enough to be able to control my powers. Maybe ignorance was bliss, but my life as a normal teenager is so much easier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beast Boy sniffled and reverted back to his salamander form before turning his back to Terra. Terra looked over to him with a frown on her face. “Beast Boy?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we talk in the hallway for a minute?” Raven asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um...okay,” Terra said. The two of them stepped outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With your memories restored, you remember your relationship with Beast Boy, right?” Raven asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” Terra said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were all devastated when you betrayed us to Slade,” Raven said. “Even I took it hard, and usually I have much more command over my emotions. Beast Boy, though, it hit him most of all. He cares deeply about you, and when he saw you come back to life a few months ago, he was desperate to have you back in his life. You saw that firsthand, although I don’t think you understood it at the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wanted to be my boyfriend?” Terra asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Raven said. A flash of bitterness passed over her for just a second, but it went away as quickly as it had come. “He never used the word, but we all knew that’s how he felt. How he still feels, actually. Look, he won’t try to stop you from going home if that’s what you want. He’s not that possessive. But once the nanobots have been removed and you’ve had time to rest, you may want to consider your next steps more carefully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry to break his heart again,” Terra said, “but I’ve already made up my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand,” Raven said. “Let’s just take things one step at a time. Trust me, I’ll be the first one to understand if you choose to forsake the life of a hero. There was a time where I wished every day that I could have lived a normal life, so I completely understand where you’re coming from. Just...don’t make any promises either way just yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Terra said. “I’ll try to keep an open mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raven didn’t believe those words, but she decided to let things be. They started hearing footsteps coming down the hall. Cyborg then turned the corner, lugging the machine they would use to remove the nanobots from Terra’s body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get you ready,” Raven said, leading Terra back into the sick bay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Cyborg said. He started hooking Terra up to the machine. “We had to use this machine five times when Slade flooded our bodies with these nasty things, so I’ve been able to optimize the procedure, but it’s still going to be a painful process. Raven’s going to be able to mitigate some of the pain with her healing powers, but other than that, there’s not much we can do. I wish we could afford to wait until you’re more well-rested, but it’s critical to get these things removed as quickly as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just get started,” Terra said. “The sooner these things are out of me, the better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Understood,” Cyborg said. Once he finished attaching Terra to the machine and Raven was in position, he began the procedure. Terra grunted at the unexpected shock of the procedure starting, but then she calmed down as the machine worked. Raven waved her ice-encased hands over Terra’s body in an attempt to numb the pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, readings on the machine indicated that the nanobots were being eliminated. However, indicators on the monitor started to glow red, and warning messages appeared on the monitor Cyborg was reading. Terra then started to scream in pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s happening to her?” Beast Boy asked after reverting back to his human form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think Slade’s learned a thing or two since the last time he used these things,” Cyborg said. “I’m trying to isolate the issue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to stop the machine!” Beast Boy yelled. “You’re hurting her!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beast Boy’s right, stop the machine now,” Robin said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Cyborg said, hitting a fail-safe switch that deactivated the machine. Terra’s screaming stopped after a few seconds, and she panted from exhaustion. “I’m sorry, Terra. I didn’t think this was going to be an issue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Terra said. “There’s no way you could’ve known.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I managed to clear out a few of the nanobots,” Cyborg said, “but it looks like they may have activated a defense procedure once we started tampering with them. I can take the nanobots I extracted to the lab and try to figure out how to neutralize the process. Until then, I don’t feel comfortable continuing with the procedure if it’s going to put Terra at risk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then go ahead,” Robin said. “The sooner we figure out the problem, the sooner we can purge these things from Terra’s body.” He pulled out his communicator. “Terra, can you give me the phone number to your house?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Terra said before reciting the number to Robin. “Why are you calling now, though?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to wait until the nanobots were removed, but since we no longer know when that can happen, I don’t feel comfortable leaving your family in the dark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robin dialed the number, and after a few rings, Terra’s adoptive mother answered the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Who is this?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Robin of the Teen Titans. We have Tara with us at the tower.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh thank God!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Terra’s mother said, breaking down into tears. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Can you bring her home?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I could,” Robin said, “but there’s been a few complications that prevent us from doing so safely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What complications?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tara was abducted by Slade. I’m sure you’re aware enough of his tactics to know how dangerous that is. We were able to extract her, but she was injected with microscopic machines in her bloodstream, and we can’t return her safely to you until we figure out how to remove them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Microscopic machines? I don’t understand.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The technology involved is complicated. Just know that until these machines have been removed, Tara cannot be considered free from danger. I will keep you updated on her status, and we’ll return her to you as soon as she is safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s fine. Can I at least have a moment to talk to her?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Robin said. He then handed Terra his communicator.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Mom,” Terra said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tara. Thank God. Are you okay?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m tired,” Terra said, “but I’m feeling okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>We’re so sorry, sweetie. We failed to keep you safe. I wish we could have done more to protect you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom, this wasn’t just your average low-life,” Terra said. “Slade is one of the most dangerous people on Earth. There wasn’t anything you could have done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tara, baby, I have to explain. Our family knew about your history, about your powers. When you came to us, it was clear you had no memory of that life. We just wanted to protect you and keep you safe, so we never told you about your past. We were afraid that if we did, you would no longer be protected from the outside world. It’s clear to us now, though, that we were mistaken. Maybe if we had explained who you were, you could’ve learned how to protect yourself. We are so sorry that this happened to you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Terra said, a tear streaming down her face. “I’m grateful you didn’t tell me about my past life. It gave me a chance to be normal, a chance I would never have had if I was aware of who I used to be. Once the Titans have freed me from these nanobots, I’ll be able to choose for myself what kind of life I want to live. I would never have had that choice if you didn’t do what you did. So please, don’t apologize for what you did for even a second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Terra’s mom replied, her sobs audible over the phone. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>We love you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you, too,” Terra said. She then hung up the communicator and returned it to Robin. “Thank you,” she said to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome.” Robin put his communicator away. “Since we have no idea how long it will take for Cyborg to figure out how to extract the nanobots safely, I think the best thing for us is to get some sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mas y Menos raised their hands. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nosotros tenemos que ir a casa</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” they said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Casa</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” Robin said. “You need to head back East then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The twins nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay then, you’re dismissed,” Robin said. “Thank you for helping us bring Terra home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Eres bienvenido</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” they replied before racing out of the sick bay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you, Jinx?” Robin asked. “Are you needed back in India?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it’s all the same to you,” Jinx said, “I’d like to stay here for now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How come?” Robin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your team’s already short two heroes,” she said, indicating Robin and Beast Boy, “and until Cyborg’s finished figuring out the nanobot problem, you’re actually down three. With Slade still on the loose, not to mention all the other mooks you’ve had to fight recently, it’s pretty clear that I’m needed more here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raven gave Jinx a curious glance, but said nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” Robin said. “My bedroom’s still available for now until I recover.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good. I think I’m going to turn in for the night. You know where to find me if you need anything.” With that, Jinx left the sick bay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s time for all of us to go to bed,” Robin said. “Cyborg will let us know once he’s figured out the nanobot issue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Beast Boy said. He hobbled back over to his bed and passed out. Terra took the bed opposite his, and Raven and Starfire said goodnight and left to go to their own rooms. As Robin laid back down and shut his eyes, he hoped Cyborg would be able to discover a way to free Terra from Slade’s nanobots. Until then, all he could do was hope that Slade hadn’t developed a contingency plan.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Bit of a shorter chapter this week. I decided to write until I hit what I thought was a natural stopping point, and it ended up being a bit shorter than the goal I wanted. Hopefully that's not a huge deal.</p><p>If you enjoyed it, please leave a kudos and a comment. Thank you for reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wanted to give a shout-out and a credit to a guest reviewer on FFN who goes by the name “Eris." They came up with a great idea for the method to remove the nanobots from Terra’s system. Since Eris has been a consistent reviewer over on that site, I wanted to make sure to give credit to them. Now onto the chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cyborg had been working tirelessly to research a way for him to clear the nanobots from Terra’s system. He had gone over all of the technology and machinery that they had at the tower, but he was not certain that anything they had would be reliable enough to do the job without harming Terra in the process.</p><p>Because of all the work he had done, he was starting to feel extremely hungry. He looked out of his bedroom window and saw that the sun was starting to rise. It had not felt like he had been up the entire night, but that tended to happen when he was in a state of flow. He then remembered the time that he had been infected with the virus that Beast Boy had downloaded into his system.</p><p>That’s when the idea hit him.</p><p>Beast Boy had gone into his system alongside Gizmo to clear the virus from his system. Cyborg realized that the same technique could be useful to remove the nanobots from Terra’s system. True, Beast Boy would likely struggle to do the work on his own, but unlike last time, Cyborg was completely capable of helping from the outside.</p><p>Foregoing his fatigue and hunger, Cyborg ran back up into the sick bay. Robin and Terra had already woken up, while Beast Boy, in his salamander form, remained sleeping. Cyborg nudged Beast Boy carefully, and he awoke with a start, morphing back into his human form.</p><p>“You woke me up during one of the sickest dreams I’ve had in a while,” Beast Boy said groggily, but then he remembered who he was talking to. “Oh, Cyborg. Did you figure out a plan to help Terra?”</p><p>“Yeah, I have a plan,” Cyborg said, “but I gotta ask you one thing first. I know you’re still dealing with a bad leg. If you were gonna morph into your, say, amoeba form, would you have a problem moving around?”</p><p>“Shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” Beast Boy said. “Wait...oh, you mean you want me to shrink down like I did for you with Gizmo?”</p><p>“Yeah, but this would be better, because instead of Gizmo you’re gonna have my help.”</p><p>“Sweet,” Beast Boy said.</p><p>“What are you two talking about?” Terra asked.</p><p>“I had to clean out a virus from Cyborg’s system once,” Beast Boy said. “We can do the same to the nanobots in your system. I just morph down to an amoeba size, swim around, and use a small blaster to take out all the nanobots. Once they’re all gone, Cyborg extracts me back out.”</p><p>“Okay...it’s a little weird, but I’ll do anything to get rid of these things.”</p><p>“Beast Boy’s got the experience, and Cyborg’s got the knowledge needed,” Robin said. “You’re in good hands.”</p><p>Cyborg let out a yawn. The fatigue he had been ignoring all night was starting to catch up to him.</p><p>“You sure you’re up for this now, Cyborg?” Robin asked. “You’ve been up all night.”</p><p>“I’m fine. Worst-case scenario, I tap into my reserve power supply. I’ll have to crash afterwards, but we need to get these bots out of Terra’s system as soon as possible. Knowing Slade, these things are capable of doing anything, so the sooner we remove them the better.”</p><p>“Then let’s do it,” Beast Boy said. “I’m totally ready.”</p><p>Beast Boy attached a communication device that he was capable of using while in amoeba form. He also took with him a blaster that Cyborg had reverse-engineered using the specifications of the technology Gizmo had used to save Cyborg. Finally, Beast Boy morphed into the amoeba and positioned himself inside a needle, which Cyborg would use to inject him into Terra’s bloodstream. Meanwhile, Cyborg hooked up Terra to scanners that would allow him to track the level of nanobot presence in her body. Once the scanners were attached, Cyborg positioned himself at Terra’s left arm.</p><p>“This is gonna sting a bit,” Cyborg said to Terra. He then injected her, and Beast Boy was now in position in the veins in her arm.</p><p>“Beast Boy, do you read me?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“<em>Loud and clear, bro. </em>”</p><p>“Good. Are you seeing any signs of the nanobots?</p><p>“<em>Uh...yeah. There’s a lot of gray metallic-looking things floating around in here. </em>”</p><p>Suddenly, a group of the nanobots started swarming towards Beast Boy.</p><p>“<em>They’re coming after me, dude! </em>” Beast Boy yelled.</p><p>“They probably recognize you as a foreign body that doesn’t belong there. Can you take them out?”</p><p>“<em>Yeah, hang on, </em>” Beast Boy said. He aimed the blaster at the nanobots and started firing. Although there was a large swarm of nanobots coming after him, Beast Boy was able to take them out. The blaster had automatic firing capabilities that made the job of taking out the nanobots a lot easier.</p><p>“Beast Boy, I’m seeing a drop in the presence of nanobots in Terra’s left arm. Do you see any others in that part of her body?”</p><p>“<em>There’s a few stragglers, but I’m already clearing them out,” Beast Boy said. “Looks like all that practice shooting zombies at the arcade is finally paying off. </em>”</p><p>“Don’t get too cocky,” Cyborg said. “If you’re not careful with that blaster, you could do some significant damage to Terra.”</p><p>“<em>No problem, dude. I’ve totally got this. </em>”</p><p>A small group of nanobots attacked from Beast Boy’s side. He had just enough time to fire off the blaster to get rid of them, but one of the shots strayed and hit the lining of Terra’s vein.</p><p>“Ouch,” Terra said.</p><p>“You okay?” Cyborg asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. Just felt a little prick.”</p><p>“Beast Boy, you need to aim more carefully. You don’t want to hurt Terra.”</p><p>“<em>I’m sorry. The swarm came out of nowhere. I didn’t have time to react. </em>”</p><p>“I’ll keep a sharper eye on the scanners,” Cyborg said.</p><p>Raven, Starfire, and Jinx arrived at the sick bay. They were surprised to see the setup at work here.</p><p>“Good morning,” Robin said to them. “Figured I’d let you sleep after last night’s events. We’ve found a way to clear out the nanobots. Beast Boy’s taking them out on the inside. Cyborg’s running point on the outside.”</p><p>“Is this the same thing Gizmo told me about?” Jinx asked.</p><p>“Pretty much,” Robin said. “Fortunately, Cyborg’s able to help us this time.”</p><p>“Good thing,” Jinx said. “Gizmo told me he had planned to destroy Cyborg’s systems if all else failed. Glad you’re able to have someone more trustworthy helping you this time.”</p><p>“Me, too,” Robin said. “Look, this is going to be a pretty lengthy process. If you want to eat breakfast, you can go do that now.”</p><p>“Sounds good,” Jinx said, “but I want to be the one to cook it. I’ve heard enough from Cyborg about Raven’s culinary challenges and Starfire’s...shall we say...unique palate.”</p><p>“We shall bring breakfast to the four of you as well,” Starfire said.</p><p>“Thanks. I appreciate it,” Robin said.</p><p>With that, the three girls left the sick bay to start preparing their meals.</p><p>The process to remove the nanobots from Terra’s system was a lengthy one. Beast Boy was able to travel through Terra’s veins and arteries, where the nanobots were also being held. With Cyborg’s scanners and knowledge of nanotechnology, they were able to eliminate every last nanobot to make sure that there was no chance that they could ever harm Terra again. Beast Boy’s experience with arcade shooters was indeed useful, but also helpful was that the blaster he was using was specifically designed to hone in on any object made of metal. Beast Boy still had to take care to aim carefully, because if no nanobots were around, the blast would hit Terra instead, but with Cyborg giving him readings, the amount of collateral damage was minimal.</p><p>Finally, after a few hours, Cyborg was able to confirm that all of the nanobots had been destroyed.</p><p>“Boo-yah!” Cyborg shouted once he had confirmed that all nanobots were destroyed. “We did it. Terra’s free and clear.”</p><p>“<em>Sweet! </em>” Beast Boy said.</p><p>Robin and Starfire found themselves cheering as well. Raven and Jinx, who were normally reserved, still cracked smiles as well.</p><p>“All right, BB, you’re clear to leave Terra’s body. If you can move into her mouth and embed yourself in her saliva, she can spit you out and you can morph back. I’ll guide you there.”</p><p>“<em>On my way. </em>” Beast Boy said. With Cyborg’s direction, Beast Boy found his way into Terra’s mouth. Once Cyborg confirmed he was there, Terra spit onto the floor of the sick bay. Once it was confirmed that Beast Boy was all clear, he morphed back into human form.</p><p>“We did it!” Beast Boy shouted. Ignoring his still-wounded leg, he gave Terra a big hug. Terra returned the embrace, smiling for the first time in the last few days. Beast Boy was so excited about his success that he gave everyone else a hug. Even Raven didn’t push him away like she normally would have.</p><p>“Well, now that we’re done here,” Cyborg said, “I really need to recharge my batteries. A couple hours’ nap should do the trick.”</p><p>“Thank you, Cyborg, Beast Boy,” Terra said. “And really, thank you to everybody here. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have been able to escape Slade and have a chance at a normal life. I owe you guys big time.”</p><p>“Normal life?” Beast Boy asked. “Does that mean what I think it means?”</p><p>Terra smiled at Beast Boy, but it was a sad smile. “When I came back to life, which I realize now is what happened, I had no memory of my powers. I was able to live my life as a normal teenager, completely unaware of all the trouble I had caused in my past. I go to school now. I have friends. I have a family who graciously took me in. You could tell by my phone call last night that my friends and family have been so worried about me.</p><p>“At first, I didn’t even realize I had this choice in front of me. But now that my memories have returned, I have something to compare my normal life to, and that makes me appreciate it so much more. I am so grateful to have friends like you, but the life of a superhero is not for me. At this point, I just want to go home.”</p><p>Beast Boy looked at Terra with eyes threatening tears. He brushed them away and took a deep breath. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bummed out, but it’s your life, so it’s your choice. Can you do me a favor, though?”</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>Beast Boy pulled out a spare communicator. “I offered you this communicator the last time I saw you. It was the one we gave you when you were a hero. I know why you didn’t take it before, but I would feel a lot better if you could take it now. Slade and other villains may still try to come after you, and if they do, I’d feel better if you had a way to call for help. I promise I won’t call to bug you or anything, but knowing you have this is gonna help me feel better.”</p><p>Terra looked at the other members of the team for reassurance, and they all returned her gaze with looks of understanding. Even Jinx, who Terra did not know very well, gave her a reassuring smile. Terra’s gaze returned to Beast Boy’s, and she reached out her hand. Beast Boy handed her the communicator.</p><p>“For emergencies only,” Terra said.</p><p>“Of course, no problem,” Beast Boy replied.</p><p>“I’m going to call your family again,” Robin said, “and let them know that we’ll be bringing you home. Since Cyborg’s resting, Starfire can fly you there. I’d feel more comfortable if Raven and Beast Boy could escort you as well, in case something goes wrong.”</p><p>“Even with his injury?” Terra asked.</p><p>“My arms are in good shape, so I can morph into a bird and follow you just fine,” Beast Boy said. “I need my wings, not my talons.”</p><p>“Okay then,” Terra said.</p><p>“You should head out now,” Robin said. “I’ll call your family to let them know to expect you.”</p><p>While Robin dialed the number, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Terra left the sick bay.</p><hr/><p>Hiding in the sewers was not something that Slade had been forced to do in a very long time. As he slunk through the dark, smelly tunnels, he slammed his fist against the tunnel wall. He left a dent in the wall where his fist had met it.</p><p>He had sworn to himself that he would never again underestimate the Teen Titans. And yet, somehow, he had managed to do it again. He had thought incapacitating Robin would have crippled the team, but they had been able to call for backup. He had known that the Titans had made an effort to expand their team of heroes after the nightmare scenario that Trigon had unleashed on the world. The only way to fight an army of heroes, Slade realized, is to build an army of villains that could overwhelm them.</p><p>Luckily, there were a lot of villains he had rescued from the old hideout of the Brotherhood of Evil. That meant that there were a few dozen potential recruits who owed him a debt. Slade intended to reach out to them as soon as possible to cash in on that debt that he was owed.</p><p>Behind Slade came Wintergreen, his butler and accomplice. Slade had not paid him much attention since they had gone into hiding. Slade now turned to address him.</p><p>“We failed to keep a hold of Terra,” he said. “The Titans have formed an army of heroes. We need to match their numbers at a bare minimum if we stand any chance of defeating them.”</p><p>“Of course, sir,” Wintergreen said, “but you’re clearly going to need a new hideout.”</p><p>“Yes, preferably one outside of the city limits. The Teen Titans keep a constant eye on Jump City. I should have never used that warehouse to hold Terra. That was a careless misstep on my part, and you more than anyone knows that I do not make the same mistakes twice.”</p><p>“So where are we going to go?”</p><p>“We need an abandoned building. I am not willing to go out more than thirty miles from the city limits, otherwise transportation will be an issue. We will scour the land carefully and find a new hiding place away from the Titans’ prying scanners. Once we have established a new base of operations, we can plan our next attack.”</p><p>“And what sort of attack will you be proposing?”</p><p>“Everything I have done in the past will be child’s play compared to everything I plan to do in the future. The Teen Titans and I have waged battles before, but this is going to go far beyond that. Wintergreen, it is time for us to prepare for war.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm not totally sure where to take the story at this point, since I am writing it and updating it at the same time. So, really, anything could happen in the next chapter. I'll give it some thought, and hopefully I'll have a good place to take the story next. If you liked what you've read and having left a kudo yet, feel free to do so. Also remember to comment if there's something you liked. Thank you.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With Terra in tow, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy were flying in the direction of Terra’s home. The past few days had been an ordeal for Terra, and the first thing she wanted to do when she returned home was to go to bed and crash.</p><p>There were not many words spoken between them until they actually made it back to her home. As they landed, Terra noticed a funny feeling in her stomach, but she wrote it off as hunger. Maybe she needed to eat before taking that well-earned sleep.</p><p>Beast Boy morphed back into his human form and gave Terra a long hug, which she returned gladly. Terra remembered that there had been a time when she and Beast Boy may have been able to have some sort of relationship, but her conflicting allegiance with Slade had prevented anything like that from getting off the ground.</p><p>Starfire was the next to give Terra a hug, almost as warm as Beast Boy’s had been. Terra remembered how big Starfire’s heart was, and how she was her most enthusiastic supporter other than Beast Boy.</p><p>Then there was Raven. Terra wasn’t sure how to approach her, but Raven relented and offered her a brief hug of her own. Raven had easily been the most skeptical of the team, but it was clear that they had been able to bond at least briefly.</p><p>As they said goodbye and Terra opened the door to greet her family, she still felt an uncomfortable feeling in her gut. Maybe she was having second thoughts about leaving the Teen Titans behind, not because of their heroic obligations, but because of their friendship. Before the Titans, Terra could not remember ever having been accepted for who she was, powers and all. Terra was now realizing that their camaraderie was a lot to leave behind, perhaps more than she had been able to anticipate.</p><p>After hugging her family again, the feeling in her stomach became worse, feeling now more like nausea than hunger or worry. A powerful wave of queasiness came over, and she ran to the bathroom and started to vomit. She was horrified to see that her vomit was the color of crimson.</p><p>“Oh my God!” she screamed as she left the bathroom. Her family ran over to her.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Terra’s mother asked. “We heard you scream.”</p><p>“I just threw up blood,” Terra said. “I can’t explain why. I need to call someone.” She was about to use her cell phone to call the ambulance, but something told her that she needed a different kind of help. She pulled out her communicator instead and called Robin.</p><p>“<em>Terra, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon </em> ,” Robin said. “<em>What’s wrong? </em>”</p><p>“My stomach was feeling weird and I just threw up blood,” Terra said. “I thought you got rid of the nanobots!”</p><p>Robin took a deep, calming breath, and continued to speak. “<em>We’ve cleared out nanobots before, and we never had side effects like that. Although...Beast Boy was using that microscopic blaster. It’s possible he could have done some internal damage without meaning to. </em>”</p><p>“What am I supposed to do?” Terra asked.</p><p>“<em>We’re absolutely positive that we cleaned you out </em> ,” Robin replied, “<em>so you need to go to the hospital. You shouldn’t need to explain the extenuating circumstances to them, and they can run some tests to figure out what’s wrong. </em>”</p><p>“I’m calling an ambulance,” Terra’s adoptive mother said. “Ashley, stay with Tara and keep an eye on her. Let me know the second if something else goes wrong.”</p><p>Terra thanked Robin and hung up, then sat with her legs tucked close to her stomach as a way to try to relieve the nausea. She was still feeling queasy, but she was afraid of vomiting any more blood. Tears welled up in her eyes, and Terra was now unsure if the nightmare of her past few days would ever end.</p>
<hr/><p>As Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy were flying home, Starfire’s communicator rang. She answered and saw Robin on the other side.</p><p>“<em>We’ve got a problem </em> ,” Robin said. “<em>Terra is having an adverse reaction to our efforts to eradicate the nanobots in her system. I advised her to go to the hospital. </em>”</p><p>“What?” Beast Boy yelled after morphing into a human. He then started falling out of the sky and had to revert back to his bird form without further comment.</p><p>“Would it not be faster for us to bring her to a hospital?” Starfire asked. “We would not be impeded by traffic.”</p><p>“<em>If any of us escorted her there, it could expose her identity, which would forever ruin her chances of living a normal life </em> ,” Robin said. “<em>The doctors can take care of her when she arrives. </em>”</p><p>“Do we have any idea what caused this reaction?” Raven asked.</p><p>“<em>I hate to say this, but the only thing I can think of is that Beast Boy may have inadvertently caused her harm while he was in there </em> ,” Robin said. “<em>There’s not much any of us can do about it now. </em>”</p><p><em>I blew it </em> , Beast Boy thought to himself.<em>If I hadn’t been such a cowboy in there, none of this would have happened. </em></p><p>“So...are you saying we should simply return to the tower and wait?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“<em>I can stay in touch with her family and keep everyone updated on her progress </em> ,” Robin said. “<em>So yes, you three can come back here. Beast Boy, I know you can’t really talk, but I wanted to let you know that you did a great job removing the nanobots from Terra’s system. No one could have anticipated this happening, so please try not to blame yourself. Focus on keeping Terra in your thoughts instead of beating yourself up. </em>”</p><p>It was still hard for Beast Boy to accept that he had put Terra in danger, but he knew Robin was right. Besides, he figured that if he tried to help Terra now, he would likely screw something else up instead.</p><p>There was nothing more to be said, so the three Titans returned home and reported back to the sick bay.</p><p>“The best thing for us to do right now is rest,” Robin said. “I will let all of you know the second I hear any news about Terra. For now, you’re dismissed.”</p><p>Raven nodded and left the room. Beast Boy returned to his hospital bed, although he realized now that his leg was hurting much less than it had been. His thoughts had been occupied elsewhere. Starfire went over to Robin’s side.</p><p>“Robin, there has been something putting a weight on my mind, and I was hoping the two of us could discuss it...privately.” Starfire looked over at Beast Boy, who had already reverted back to his salamander form and shut his eyes.</p><p>“Hang on,” Robin said to Starfire, then turned back to Beast Boy. “Can you give Star and I a minute here?”</p><p>Beast Boy morphed back into his human form, nodded, and slunk out of the sick bay.</p><p>“Is he going to be alright?” Starfire asked.</p><p>“Eventually,” Robin said. “He can be pretty hard on himself, especially if he feels responsible for putting his friends in danger, but I think he’ll come around. What did you want to discuss?”</p><p>“It is nothing major, but it feels like there has been so much going on, that the two of us have not had any time to ourselves to talk.”</p><p>“The kind of work we do doesn’t allow us much time to ourselves. That was the point I was trying to make in Tokyo.”</p><p>“Your point is taken. I understand that protecting the innocent and stopping the bad guys have to come first. For the longest time, those priorities have not bothered me, but with the two of us now doing the going out, I think my priorities have started to shift.”</p><p>“How so?”</p><p>“Well, for a long time, I had...what would you call it…a crush on you. Perhaps foolishly, I believed that my feelings for you were only one-sided. It was sad to think this, but at the same time, it made it easier to put in the back of my mind. Since I believed my feelings were not going anywhere, I did not have to spend much time thinking about them. But now, I realize that the feelings are indeed going somewhere, and that has opened up so many more questions, questions about us. How will our relationship change? What is in store for our future? How do we balance our work as heroes with our relationship? I have so many questions like these, and it is hard to determine how to start answering them.”</p><p>“I know what you mean,” Robin said. “Before I met any of you, I was trained not to get too attached to anyone, for fear that it would interfere with my ability to fight crime. There was always the chance that the woman I loved could be threatened if our relationship was discovered. I don’t have that fear with you, because you are capable of fighting back against anyone who would threaten you. But I agree that rearranging our priorities is going to be a huge challenge. I’ve been spending a lot of time grappling with those thoughts, too.”</p><p>“Then how shall we proceed?” Starfire asked.</p><p>Robin beckoned her over to him. She walked to his side and kneeled so that their heads were level. Robin pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead. “I think the best idea is to wait,” he said. “The questions we have are not going to be answered in a day, or a month, or maybe even a year. Let’s just wait and see what life decides to throw at us, and no matter what happens, we’ll be ready for it. We’re heroes, capable of doing amazing things to keep people safe. I’m sure we’ll be able to figure out the rest in time.” Robin kissed her forehead again, and Starfire looked up at him and gave him a long, slow kiss on the lips. After a few seconds, there was a knock on the door.</p><p>“Are you two done in there?” Beast Boy asked.</p><p>Robin and Starfire laughed. “Yes, you may come back in,” Starfire said.</p><p>“Thanks,” Beast Boy said. He collapsed back onto the bed and reverted back to his salamander form.</p><p>“I think we should get some rest, too,” Robin said. Starfire kissed him on the forehead again and left the sick bay.</p>
<hr/><p>Jinx had spent last night catching up on some much needed sleep. Jet lag was still interfering with her normal sleep schedule, so she ended up wide awake in the middle of the night. The last she’d heard from the Titans, Terra had needed to be hospitalized for an adverse reaction to the removal of the nanobots. She was in surgery now, but no other news had been reported, so odds were good that nothing serious had happened to Terra yet.</p><p>Being alone and sleeping in Robin’s room had given her time to think. Her insistence on remaining in Jump City for now had made enough sense, given that two of the Titans were still not at 100%, but she had not yet betrayed her real reason for wanting to stay.</p><p>Now that things were quiet and the other Titans were likely sleeping, she decided to take a walk. She left Robin’s room and started walking through the halls. It had been a while since she’d taken over the tower with the H.I.V.E, but she had an excellent memory for directions, so she knew exactly where she was headed.</p><p>When she arrived at the door she was looking for, she gave it a gentle knock.</p><p>“You awake in there?” she asked, softly at first. When there was no reply, she knocked a little louder.</p><p>“I’m coming,” said the voice inside the room. The door opened, and Cyborg was on the other side. “What’s up?” he asked.</p><p>“Pretty sure we’re the only two who are up,” Jinx responded. “I’ve been looking for a chance to talk to you since Raven brought me here. You got enough charge in your system?”</p><p>“Yeah, but I really should try to fix my sleep cycle,” Cyborg replied, stepping back in order to let Jinx enter his room. “It’s hard juggling the machine part of me that needs electricity and the human part of me that needs sleep.”</p><p>“I can’t even begin to imagine how you do it,” Jinx said. “I’m pretty jetlagged myself.”</p><p>“I’m sure you didn’t come here to talk about sleep,” Cyborg said. “What did you really come here to say?”</p><p>“Okay, you’re right,” Jinx said. “I’ll cut to the chase. Being a bad guy, so to speak, meant I didn’t really have a chance to talk to people on the other side, like you, for instance. Things started to change when I realized I didn’t want to be one of the bad guys anymore. You can thank Kid Flash for that. I realized how lazy my allies were, so I decided to switch teams, but work ethic wasn’t my only reason.”</p><p>Cyborg was pretty sure he knew where this was going, but he chose to let her keep explaining.</p><p>“I didn’t really start thinking about you until you were posing as Stone at the academy. Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize it was you, but there were too many similarities between the two of you for me to write it off as a coincidence. The school dance that year was fun, dare I say it. Normally I wouldn’t have bothered, but with you there, I felt differently.”</p><p>Jinx stopped talking for a moment to study Cyborg’s reaction. He was about as stone faced as he could be, but she decided to continue talking before making any assumptions about his reaction.</p><p>“Then I realized Stone and Cyborg were one in the same, and...okay, I’ll admit it, I was attracted to you. I didn’t allow myself to start thinking about that again until I switched teams, and now the feeling’s there, and now all that’s left to figure out is how you feel.”</p><p>For a few seconds, there was silence in the room. Just as Jinx thought she had misread Cyborg and made a fool of herself, he took her hand in his and smiled.</p><p>“And I thought I was the one who was crazy for liking you,” Cyborg said.</p><p>“You ass,” Jinx said playfully. “You had the most serious look on your face. I thought I was making a fool of myself.”</p><p>“I didn’t want to make any assumptions until you were done talking,” Cyborg said. “I’ll admit, I started to think there might be something between us, too, but I knew nothing could have happened at the time. When you switched sides, I was thinking about it, too, trust me. Is this the real reason you wanted to stick around?”</p><p>“Guilty as charged,” Jinx said with a mischievous look in her eye. She then decided to throw all caution to the winds and gave Cyborg a long, passionate kiss. After an initial reaction of surprise, Cyborg returned the kiss, and the two of them embraced.</p><p>“You’re gonna think this is stupid now,” Jinx said, “but I was always afraid you had a thing for Bumblebee.”</p><p>“Nah,” Cyborg said. “I think of her more like a sister. I thought you had a thing for Kid Flash.”</p><p>“He made me rethink my priorities,” Jinx said, “but no, he was never really the guy for me. He’s a good friend, though. We’ve kept in touch.”</p><p>“I see,” Cyborg said. “So, uh...what are we gonna do now? I think the rest of the team is fast asleep.”</p><p>“Hmm,” Jinx said. “Part of me wants to figure out<em>exactly </em> how that anatomy of yours works, but I think we should at least go out on a date first to keep up some pretense of courtship.”</p><p>Cyborg laughed. “Okay, maybe we can get a bite to eat. I’m feeling pretty hungry.”</p><p>“When we were studying your team, we saw that you liked to eat at that pizza place downtown.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, Pizza Corner,” Cyborg said. “That’s our regular spot. They have speciality pizzas named after us.”</p><p>“Really? I didn’t know that,” Jinx said. “What’s on your pizza?”</p><p>“Pretty much all forms of meat known to man.”</p><p>“Of course,” Jinx said, rolling her eyes playfully. “I’ve always wanted to try their food, but I had the impression it was more ‘hero-friendly,’ if you know what I mean.”</p><p>“Well, there’s no reason for you to worry about that now,” Cyborg said. “If anyone asks, I’ll vouch for you.”</p><p>“Then it’s a date,” Jinx said. She offered her arm to Cyborg, and the two of them left the room with their arms interlocked.</p>
<hr/><p>Slade and Wintergreen had made it to the outskirts of town. Setting up headquarters in Jump City had been a costly mistake, and therefore not one Slade had intended on repeating.</p><p>“There was an old Zynothium processing plant run here by Professor Chang, if you recall,” Slade said.</p><p>“Pardon me, sir,” Wintergreen said, “but if you are looking for a hideout outside of the city, I would not recommend using that plant. I am certain the Titans are keeping an eye on it.”</p><p>“My plans for the plant are not to use it as a hideout,” Slade said. “Robin showed me how useful Zynothium could be as a weapon when he donned the disguise of Red X in a misguided attempt to gain my trust. For the plans I have, we need to reverse engineer the manufacturing process and start mass-producing weapons.”</p><p>“And this abandoned plant will provide clues for us to discover that process,” Wintergreen said. “I understand now.”</p><p>“Yes, I believe you do,” Slade said. “The Titans keep the plant under surveillance, even though it has long since been operational. They will know who I am in an instant, but they do not know you. I will need you to gather as much knowledge as you can so that we can determine how to reproduce the material. If you run into trouble, I can provide backup, but only as an absolute last resort. Do you understand?”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” Wintergreen said.</p><p>“Then get started.”</p><p>Wintergreen nodded and made his way towards the plant. Since the attack that the Teen Titans had made a long time ago, the plant had been abandoned, but enough of the machinery had survived for Slade and Wintergreen to begin learning as much as they could about the manufacturing process. The information from the plant, along with Slade’s own brilliance and ingenuity, could crack the code and lead to the production of more Zynothium. If that were possible, Slade knew he would have more than a fighting chance against the Teen Titans. For now, though, all he could do was hope.</p>
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